Louisville basketball has undergone major coaching changes this offseason, losing three key staff members. Earlier this offseason, Louisville learned they had lost Brian Kloman, their Executive Director of Player Personnel and Strategic Initiatives, as He went to Auburn to be the Tigers' new general manager, and they also lost assistant coach Thomas Carr to Indiana.
Now, late in the offseason, Kelsey learned that Louisville legend and 2013 National Champion for the Cardinals, Peyton Siva, moved to St. John’s to reunite with his former head coach, Rick Pitino. Siva was recently promoted to assistant coach this offseason after serving as the Cards' Director of Player Development and Basketball Alumni Relations during the 2024-25 season.
Siva is obviously a fan favorite and will be hard to replace. Recently, on a 247Sports podcast, Kelsey broke the silence on Siva leaving UofL.
Pat Kelsey "totally gets" Siva's decision
Siva was going ot be a major piece on Louisville’s coaching staff this upcoming season. The Cardinals fans were excited to see the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee in his new role, but unfortunately, UofL fans won’t be able to see that through.
Now, Kelsey has just broken the silence since Siva left, and the Cardinals head coach has nothing but respect for Siva and truly wishes him the best moving forward.
“I totally get it,” stated Kelsey. “Him being able to coach for his former coach, that won a championship together. I wish him all the luck in the world, except for possibly in November when St. John’s and Louisville possibly go head-to-head.”
Kelsey is talking about the 2026 Players Era Festival, where Louisville and St. John’s are each in the sixteen-team bracket. The Cardinals could face their former two coaches in the second round if Louisville defeats Texas Tech and St. John’s defeats Oregon.
The Cards' first-round matchup against Texas Tech is on November 24 at 8 p.m. local time, and the potential matchup against St. John’s is on November 26 at 4 p.m. ET.
“Peyton knows he is always welcome back here at home,” Kelsey stated. “Just having Peyton Siva in the organization makes you better, just because he is an unbelievable person; he is really smart. But I think once he was our Director of Alumni Relations and was connecting me with former players, you could see him start to catch the coaching bug.”
Kelsey made it clear there are no hard feelings between the Cardinals and their former coach, and that he “totally gets it”. The Cardinals had a busy offseason, adding nine players and are right back as Final Four contenders.
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