A day after accepting the UMass job, Pat Kelsey backs out

Pat Kelsey will not be the new UMass head coach after all. A Thursday press conference was abruptly cancelled after Kelsey, who accepted the job on Wednesday, had an apparent change of heart.

“For personal reasons, I have asked the University of Massachusetts to allow me to be released from the offer I accepted,” Kelsey said in a statement. He added that the decision was “entirely personal” and apologized to the school and members of the program that originally hired him.

Kelsey had been at Winthrop for the past five seasons, going 49-16 and winning two Big South titles in the last two years. It is unclear if he is headed back to the school or if he involved elsewhere. Kelsey has been a hot coaching prospect this month after taking the Eagles back to the NCAA Tournament.

We will continue to follow this story and update the site with new developments.