Tom Kelsey enters his seventh season as head coach for the men’s basketball program. In his first six seasons with the program, Coach Kelsey has led the Blazers to a 105-83 overall record.
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 2005, 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 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 22 years, and have five children (Hadley, Brynne, Elise, Mikailie, and Brooklyn ).
