Pat Kelsey backs out of UMass job

UMass confirmed Thursday that Pat Kelsey won't be the program's next head coach, after he backed out of his agreement with the school roughly 30 minutes before an introductory press conference.

"In my conversation with Pat, he made it clear that his reasons were very personal and upon his request, I will honor our confidential conversation," UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford said in a statement.

Kelsey will instead remain at Winthrop, where he has served as head coach for the last five seasons.

"To be clear, this decision is entirely personal and in no way an assessment of the commitment UMass made to me or to the resources available at UMass to have a nationally-recognized program," Kelsey said in a statement of his own.

Though Kelsey didn't explain his decision to back out of the agreement, a source close to the 41-year-old told ESPN "he just didn't feel like it was the right place for him."

Kelsey led the Eagles to a 102-59 record over five years and a first-round appearance in the 2017 NCAA tournament.

Kelsey's decision to bolt the Minutemen was revealed shortly after he expressed excitement over the UMass job in a news release that has since been deleted.

"Lisa and I are thrilled to be joining the UMass family and the Amherst community," Kelsey said in that release. "UMass is a national college basketball brand with a proud, powerful tradition. As a player in the A-10, I saw firsthand what the potential is there. I look forward to the challenge of making UMass a major factor on the national level once again."