page_title: Winthrop Eagles men's basketball
section_title: Pat Kelsey era (2012–Present)
hierarchical_section_title: Winthrop Eagles men's basketball / Rise to mid-major prominence / Pat Kelsey era (2012–Present)
caption_attribution_description: English: Winthrop Coliseum
context_page_description: The Winthrop Eagles men's basketball team represents Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States and competes in the Big South Conference. The Eagles hired former Xavier assistant coach Pat Kelsey in 2012 as men's basketball head coach to replace Randy Peele. Winthrop plays their home games in the 6,100 seat Winthrop Coliseum. Winthrop has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments and has won 10 conference season championships and 12 conference tournament championships. The Eagles have played 42 seasons of basketball since their inaugural 1978–79 campaign.
context_section_description: Former Xavier and Wake Forest assistant Pat Kelsey was announced as Winthrop's new coach on March 29, 2012.  Through eight seasons with the Eagles, Kelsey is 163-93 (.636) overall and 93–45 (.674) in the Big South and has led Winthrop to two Big South season championships (2016, 2017), two Big South tournament championships (2017, 2020), and three Big South Tournament runner-up finishes (2014, 2015, 2016).  In 2019-20, Kelsey's Eagles led the Big South in assists, rebounding offense, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, 3-pt field goals made, scoring offense, and scoring margin.
  Under Kelsey, the Eagles' style of play has typically exhibited a fast-paced, high scoring offense and pack line defense. Kelsey's Eagles have broken multiple school records in categories such as free throw accuracy, blocked shots, three-pointers made, offensive pace, and points scored in a single game.
  With the help of assistant coaches like Brian Kloman, Kelsey has developed a successful local and international recruiting pipeline and has signed some of the top players in WU's history.  This includes Winthrop's all-time leading rebounder and shot-blocker, Xavier Cooks, and Winthrop's all-time leading scorer, Keon Johnson.  In recent years, the program has received commitments from D2 transfer Chandler Vaudrin, the 2017-18 national leader in triple-doubles, Josh Corbin and Jamal King, two ESPN 3-star recruits, and DJ Burns, an ESPN 4-star recruit and transfer from the University of Tennessee.
caption: Winthrop Coliseum
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