Almost half of College of Charleston basketball coach Pat Kelseyâs new $1.1 million annual salary will come from private funds, according to the school.Â
CofC's Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a five-year, $5.5 million contract extension for Kelsey, with a base salary of $600,000 and an annual supplement of $500,000 from private donors.
The guaranteed deal, which ends in 2028, also includes incentives for reaching 20-win seasons and a variety of standard performance bonuses for conference championships, coach-of-the-year honors and NCAA Tournament appearances.
With jobs at the Power 5 level opening up across the country, College of Charleston athletic director Matt Roberts was eager to sign Kelsey to an extension.
"Pat's energy and enthusiasm has brought this program to a place it has not been in a long time," Roberts said. "I am excited to continue to watch this program grow under his leadership. I'm especially grateful to our many Cougar supporters who stepped forward to help the College of Charleston to make this contract possible through significant private support that poured in during the last two months."
The Cougars are 28-3 overall this season and earned a share of the Colonial Athletic Associationâs regular-season crown with a 16-2 mark.
CofC is the No. 2 seed in the CAA Tournament, which is scheduled to start on March 4.
âI am truly grateful for their passionate response and generosity,â Kelsey said in a prepared statement. âMatt asked a group of people in the community for their support in this endeavor and they responded resoundingly. The buzz in the city for Cougar basketball is palpable from King Street to the neighboring beaches.
âThis is the vision that we imagined two years ago when we arrived here, and while we are only just beginning, seeing the vision come to fruition is so exciting.â
Charlestonâs 28 wins are the most of any NCAA Division I team this season. The Cougars, who had the nationâs longest winning streak at 20 games, were ranked in the Associated Pressâ Top 25 poll for the first time in two decades, reaching No. 18 on Jan. 16.
"This contract extension represents our institutional commitment to coach Kelsey,â said College of Charleston president Andrew Hsu. "Unlike many other universities, our school has an opportunity right now to make ourselves a mid-major powerhouse, and we â the administration, the trustees and our fans â believe coach Kelsey has the right vision, the right character and the right energy to make the College of Charleston successful for years to come.
âI'm especially proud that we were able to leverage our institutional resources alongside private philanthropy to make this contract extension possible."
In 2021, Kelseyâs signed a 5-year deal worth a total of $3 million. Heâs getting $600,000 this year, but can earn more with incentives like conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
In two seasons in Charleston, Kelsey is 45-18 and 24-12 in the CAA.
