Jermaine Ukaegbu

Biography

Jermaine Ukaegbu enters his third season on staff at the University of Louisville under Pat Kelsey. Ukaegbu has been with Kelsey for many years going back to his days playing for the coach at Winthrop. He also spent three seasons as director of player development at the College of Charleston under Kelsey. Ukaegbu currently leads the Cardinals' defensive strategy on the floor in addition to player development, scouting and recruiting. Louisville finished the year 24-11 in Ukaegbu's second season on staff in The Ville and his first as the program's primary defensive coordinator and big man developer. The Cardinals finished 11-7 in the gauntlet that is the ACC, producing a sixth-place seed in the ACC Tournament and advancing to the quarterfinals. Louisville captured its first NCAA Tournament win since 2017, defeating 11-seed South Florida in the first round as a 6-seed. In Ukaegbu's first year in Louisville, the Cardinals produced a 27-8 record finishing second in the ACC with an 18-2 league record. UofL also finished runner-up in the league at the ACC Tournament, making the program's first-ever appearance in an ACC Championship game. The Cards earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament as an eight-seed, returning to the Big Dance for the first time since 2019. Chucky Hepburn earned All-ACC First Team honors while also being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an AP Honorable Mention All-American. Terrence Edwards Jr. picked up Third Team All-ACC honors. The Cardin