Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey discussed Mikel Brown Jr. ahead of the upcoming NBA draft. On Monday, he made an appearance on the “Jim Rome” show.
While speaking about his former player, Kelsey had nothing but praise for Brown. He also claimed that teams that overlook him in the draft will regret it later on.
“You said (Mikel Brown Jr.) is a top 10 pick in the draft. Anybody that passes on him is going to be sorry that they did,” Kelsey said. “I’ve been blessed in my career to be around some great guards. … Mikel is touched by God. He’s a special talent.
“He’s got a phenomenal basketball mind. Extremely explosive. High basketball IQ, sees things before they happen. … He just has that ‘IT’ factor from the first time you meet him. He just has that deal. I say he should have a theme music behind him when he walks down the street.”
Coming out of high school, Mikel Brown Jr. was considered a five-star prospect. He had offers from programs like Alabama, Indiana and Ole Miss. However, he decided to sign with Louisville as part of the 2025 recruiting class.
In his sole season under Pat Kelsey, the point guard played in 21 games and averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Brown did not play in the NCAA Tournament due to a back injury. The Cardinals were eliminated by Michigan State in the second round.
Pat Kelsey gets honest about attending 2026 NBA draft to support Mikel Brown Jr.
During Monday’s press conference, Pat Kelsey was questioned whether he would attend the upcoming NBA draft in New York.
The Louisville coach said that he won’t be in attendance and highlighted how Mikel Brown Jr. will already have several people cheering him on during the draft.
“Kel has a very, very, very close-knit family,” Kelsey said. “There’s only so many sports and seats there. Obviously, Ryan (Conwell) is right there as well with the chance to be drafted. So proud of both of those guys.”
The 2026 NBA draft will be held on June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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