Kelsey to Remain at Winthrop

Pat Kelsey told UMass AD Ryan Bamford about change of heart 35 minutes before introductory press conference

Shortly before the University of Massachusetts was scheduled to have a press conference introducing Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey as the new head men's basketball coach at UMass, the school stopped letting people enter the Champions Center practice court.

It was a strange scene -- some media and boosters were inside, visible through the practice facility's glass doors, while others waited to be allowed in. Eventually the rest of the media was allowed to enter, but moments later, the school cancelled the presser, offering no comment as to why it was cancelled, or whether Kelsey was even still the coach.

About an hour later, the news broke: He wasn't. Kelsey had changed his mind and would no longer be accepting the head men's basketball coaching position.

So why wasn't the media informed beforehand? According to UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford, he received a call from Kelsey at 3:25 p.m. informing him that he would no longer be accepting the job -- 35 minutes before the press conference was scheduled to begin.

"I had absolutely no indication that this was on the horizon," Bamford said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. "Obviously, as soon as he was called, I immediately met with him."



www.masslive.com/umassbasketball/index.ssf/2017/03/pat_kelsey_told_umass_ad_ryan.html