Pat Kelsey apologizes, says London Johnson will keep redshirt
Just days after announcing that Louisville junior guard London Johnson would have his redshirt lifted for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey backtracked.
Kelsey stated that Johnson will be keeping his redshirt this winter following the Cards’ 79-70 home loss to No. 16 Virginia. The second-year coach had mentioned previously that Johnson would be available to play this season following Saturday’s game against Boston College.
The 6-foot-4 guard never saw the floor.
“First thing, I want to take responsibility,” Kelsey opened with on Tuesday. “It could have been handled a lot better, and I think that starts with me. We really tried to fix and find a solution to some of the depth problems we have on our team, and with (Mikel Brown) being out and Ryan (Conwell) getting hurt, we had those initial conversations with London.”
“Like I said, I take responsibility. How it was handled, when the statement was put out. The fact of the matter is, when we sat down with him, initially, we had really good conversations…it looked like it was moving in the right direction.”
Johnson averaged 8.3 points and 3.4 assists per game across 100 games in the NBA’s G-League, nothing out of this world, and nothing worthy of the backlash he and the Cards faced for the significant signing — the second of its kind in NCAA history.
He had spent two-plus years in the NBA G-League, including two seasons playing for team Ignite before its disbandment and one season between the Maine Red Claws and the Cleveland Charge.
“It’s a lot to ask of that young man, there’s a lot of things that go into it…he has a whole lot of ground to make up, I think, before he can really go out there and be a productive player for us,” said Kelsey.
It was Johnson’s decision to not play against Boston College, as he felt things were moving too quickly from a game preparation and scouting standpoint. But Kelsey took ownership of the hasty plan to remove Johnson’s redshirt.
“This was me being really aggressive, trying to find a solution, adding depth to our team. But it just wasn’t the right thing. So, I’m sorry how that came across. I’m sorry that we put the statement the way we did. That was my mistake.”
Louisville has lost three of the last four, all conference games, and will now travel to Pittsburgh to play on Saturday night.
WATCH – Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Isaac McKneely, and Ryan Conwell after UVA loss
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