Tom Kelsey enters his third season
as Head Men's Basketball Coach for the Blazers. In his first two years with
the program, Coach Kelsey has led the Blazers to a 31-29.
Prior to arriving at Belhaven, Coach
Kelsey served as the head men’s basketball coach at Greater Atlanta
Christian School in Norcross, GA, where he compiled an overall record of
47-40, and led the Spartans to three straight appearances in the state
playoffs. In 2004, his team finished with a #7 ranking after compiling a
21-10 overall mark and advancing into the Final Eight of the State
Tournament.
From 1998-2001, Coach Kelsey worked
as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama under current Crimson
Tide coach Mark Gotfried. During his three seasons at Alabama, the team
advanced to the NCAA National Tournament (2000) and the NIT Tournament
(1999, 2001). The 2001 squad played in the NIT championship game, en
route to compiling an overall record of 25-11 and spending 15
consecutive weeks in the Top 25 in both the Associated Press and
Coaches’ polls. Additionally, Coach Kelsey was named one of the Top 20
recruiting coaches by Hoop Scoop Magazine, during his time with the
Crimson Tide.
From May 1995 to March 1998, Coach
Kelsey served as an assistant for Coach Gotfried at Murray State
University in Murray, Kentucky. In each of his three seasons at Murray
State the Racers finished as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular
season champions, winning the conference tournament in 1997 and 1998.
The 1996 squad advanced to the NIT, while the 1997 and 1998 teams played
in the NCAA Tournament. The 1998 team finished with the most wins (29)
for an OVC team and earned a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, also a
record for an OVC team.
Coach Kelsey served as an assistant
coach at Lipscomb University (1994-95) under Hall of Fame Coach, Don
Meyer. The 1995 team finished with a 30-7 overall record and advanced to
the Final 16 of the NAIA National Tournament.
From 1989 to 1994, Kelsey served as
Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Faulkner University
in Montgomery, Alabama. During his time at Faulkner, Coach Kelsey
compiled an overall record of 83-76 and was named the NAIA District 27
“Coach of the Year” (1992). The ’92 squad finished 27-6 (school record)
and was the District 27 regular season and tournament champions. The
team finished ranked #11 in the final NAIA poll, and ranked 3rd in
points per game (103.3) on the season. Following a 4-24 season in 1990,
his 1991 team made a major turnaround by finishing with a 23-11 record.
Additionally, Kelsey has served on
the coaching staffs for Athletes in Action (Summer 1990), Franklin Road
Academy in Nashville, Tennessee (1988-89) and Brentwood Academy in
Brentwood, Tennessee (1987-88).
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tom Kelsey is a 1986 graduate of
Lipscomb University, where was a four-year member of the Bisons
Basketball team. He was a part of the 1985-86 #1 ranked Lipscomb team
that won the NAIA National Championship, following the team’s 35-4
season.
Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Speech Communication from Lipscomb and a Masters of Education
in Supervision and Administration from Tennessee State University. He
and his wife Edie have been married for 17 years, and they four have
children.
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The Kelsey Family |
Kason Whitten -
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
/
Game Day Operations Manager
(601) 968-5936
kwhitten@belhaven.edu
Kason Whitten, a native of Seattle, Washington, enters his third
year as an assistant coach for the Belhaven College men’s basketball
program. His primary responsibilities include player eligibility and
recruitment of prospective student athletes, in addition to on the floor
coaching duties.
“It is a tremendous blessing to be a part of the Belhaven College
coaching family” said Whitten. “I am extremely excited about the
opportunity to help student athletes grow as players and individuals,
both on and off the court. I continue to look forward to learning all I
can under Coach Kelsey’s leadership and to helping the program reach new
heights.”
Coach Whitten is a 2005 graduate of Jackson State University, where he
received his Bachelor of Arts in English.
In addition to his role of assistant coach, Kason is the Game Dame
Operations Manager for the Blazers' Department of Athletics. He is
responsible for game day oversight and coordination of Belhaven's 13
varsity sports.
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