The College of Charleston has sponsored a men's basketball team since 1898. They have been NCAA Division I since 1991 in the Trans-Atlantic Athletic Conference (now ASUN Conference), the Southern Conference and presently the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly the Colonial Athletic Association).[2] In 2012, ESPN ranked Charleston as the 73rd best college basketball program in the previous 50 years, which was the highest ranking of all Division I teams in the state of South Carolina.[3]
John Kresse era (1979–2001)
Under head coach John Kresse, the team had its greatest success. In 1983, the Cougars won the NAIA Championship. In the 1991–92 season, the Cougars made the jump to Division I and beat UNC–Charlotte in their first game. In the 1998–99 season, the team joined the Southern Conference, winning its only SoCon tournament championship that year. In 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999, the Cougars reached the NCAA tournament, with a record of 1–4, beating Maryland in the opening round in 1997. In 1995 and 1996, the Cougars made the NIT.
The program's biggest regular-season win in school history was over then-No. 3 North Carolina on the road on December 6, 1998. Kresse's career record at Charleston is 560–143.[when?]
Tom Herrion era (2002–06)
Many[who?] consider this a dark age for the program, despite winning seasons and an NIT berth in 2003. The Cougars' strength of schedule slid into decline and players with questionable reputations filled the roster. Tom Herrion's first Charleston team finished 25–8 in 2002–03, captured the Great Alaska Shootout title and advanced to the NIT. His 25 victories marked the highest total of any first-year NCAA Division I head coach during the 2002–03 season.[4] Herrion also guided the Cougars to a 20–9 finish in 2003–04, an 18–10 performance in 2004–05, and a 17–11 record in 2005–06. Herrion's final record was 80–38.
Bobby Cremins era (2006–12)
The College of Charleston hired former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins in 2006.[5] In each of Cremins' five complete seasons, Charleston won 20 games and Cremins won the SoCon Coach of the Year award in 2011. The Cougars played in a national postseason tournament in three consecutive seasons under Cremins, making the CBI in 2009 and 2010 and the NIT in 2011. During Cremins' tenure, the Cougars were put back in the national spotlight when they upset then-No.9 North Carolina on January 4, 2010, at TD Arena.[6] He took a leave of absence during the 2011–2012 season due to exhaustion and retired at the conclusion of the season.[7] His overall record at Charleston is 125–68.[5]
Doug Wojcik era (2012–14)
Doug Wojcik, University of Tulsa's all-time wins leader, was named the 22nd all-time head men's basketball coach at the College of Charleston on April 1, 2012.[8] In his first season with the Cougars, Wojcik led Charleston to the SoCon Championship before losing to Davidson. The Cougars were added to the CBI postseason tournament, losing to George Mason in the first round.[9] Charleston moved to the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association) in 2013 and Wojcik's Cougars struggled to a 6–10 conference record. He was fired on August 5, 2014, with a 38–29 overall record.[10]
Earl Grant era (2014–2021)
Earl Grant, a former Clemson and Wichita State assistant, was named the Cougars' 23rd all-time head coach on September 2, 2014.[11] Charleston struggled in Grant's first year at the helm, finishing the season with just nine wins.[12] The Cougars did, however, win their first-ever CAA tournament game, a 56–48 decision over Drexel in the first round.[13] Grant got his first signature win with Charleston on November 30, 2015, when the Cougars defeated LSU 70–58 at TD Arena.[14]
Grant's Cougars experienced the national postseason for the first time under his watch during the 2016–17 season. After finishing the regular season with a 23–8 record and losing in the CAA Tournament final, Charleston received an at-large bid to the NIT as a five seed. The Cougars ultimately lost at Colorado State, 81–74.
In the 2017–18 season, Coach Grant and the Cougars managed a 26–8 record going 14–4 in the conference and undefeated at home, with sweeps over conference teams Delaware, Hofstra, Northeastern and UNC Wilmington. The Cougars would take the regular-season conference championship in a 79–58 win over Elon and would go into the CAA Conference tournament as a #1 seed, going on to win the tournament championship in an 83–76 OT win over Northeastern.[15] Charleston would then receive a #13 seed spot in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and play #4 Auburn in San Diego, CA.[16] After the season, Grant left to be head coach of Boston College.
Pat Kelsey era (2021–2024)
The Cougars hired Pat Kelsey, former head coach at Winthrop University, on March 25, 2021.[17] Kelsey led the Cougars for just three seasons, but his era at Charleston is considered one of the most successful in program history. He led the team to a 75–27 (.735) overall record over his three seasons at the helm, including two conference regular season titles, two conference championship titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.[18] He also introduced the "Our City" motto, meant to unite support for the team with the city of Charleston.[19]
His team finished the 2022–23 season with a 31–4 record, including 4 weeks in the AP Top 25 poll, a conference championship title, and an NCAA tournament appearance. The team also won the Charleston Classic for the first time in program history. Kelsey signed an amended 5-year contract with the College of Charleston that would pay him a $1.1 million base salary,[20] making him highest paid head coach in the Coastal Athletic Association.[21]
The success continued into the 2023–24 season as he led the program to its first outright regular season title since 2003 and was named the Coastal Athletic Association Coach of the Year.[22] Following the end of the season, Kelsey accepted the position as head coach at the University of Louisville.[22]
College of Charleston president Andrew Hsu praised Kelsey upon news of his new position at Louisville, saying "he brought so much energy and excitement to Our City ... his impact goes far beyond basketball. His success reignited a premiere basketball school in a premiere city."[22]
