Pat Kelsey likes to say the most important moment for his Louisville men's basketball team is always "the next thing."

After the Cardinals swept their two-game exhibition tour of the Bahamas in dominant fashion, the coach whose seemingly boundless energy rejuvenated a program at rock bottom when he arrived in late March said the next thing was "taking a deep breath."

"I haven't really been able to stop, get above the trees and reflect on what we all just did," Kelsey said Aug. 1, during a postgame interview on WLCL 93.9 FM. "People think these moves are glamorous and things like that; because it is — I mean, I'm at Louisville for God's sake — but it's just so much. It's been a great first four months, and (I'm) ready for the next chapter."

Chapter 1 began with building a roster from scratch, predominantly through the NCAA transfer portal, at a breakneck pace. It closed with U of L's wins last week over Bahamas Select (111-59) and the University of Calgary (111-71) as part of the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League. In between, Kelsey and his staff had to get everyone on the same page schematically and culturally during summer workouts while keeping an eye toward the future on the recruiting trail.

If the man whose mentor, the late Skip Prosser, described as someone who "makes coffee nervous" is ready for a break, his players must be, too.

"It'll be good and healthy for them to get away from this crazy dude for a little bit and recharge," Kelsey said, referring to himself, "so we can come back and (move) full steam ahead in that next chapter."

Until the Cards reconvene in the fall to begin preparing in earnest for the 2024-25 season, here are three things we learned from an encouraging Caribbean excursion:

Pat Kelsey's offensive principles have taken root at Louisville

Before going any further, a disclaimer that will blanket each of the following takeaways:

Louisville is miles ahead of Bahamas Select and Calgary; as one of college basketball's 15 winningest programs should be. The competition will be much stiffer when the season tips off in early November with back-to-back games at the KFC Yum! Center against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Morehead State and Tennessee.

Kelsey knew this going into the trip, which is why he challenged his veteran-heavy roster to "be great in our system" regardless of the score. The players understood the assignment; and their grasp of his offensive principles after only 10 practices akin to what they'll go through during the season was impressive to watch.

"That's why I love this offense so much," senior point guard Chucky Hepburn said, "because it just allows you to showcase your game."

The Cards spaced the floor and moved the ball with a precision and a connectedness that were sorely lacking the past two years under former coach Kenny Payne. They needed less than 20 minutes against the Bahamians to tally more assists in a single game than one of Payne's teams ever did; and their 60 on 80 made field goals (against 26 turnovers) during the trip was good for 16.9% of the 356 logged during the 2023-24 season.

Fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor summed it up best when he said, "Everyone knows where everyone is; everyone knows how to make the right play."

Kelsey praised his team several times for passing up "good shots for great shots." In his system, that means either at the rim or from beyond the arc. Here's a look at how U of L's shot selection broke down in the Bahamas:

• Dunks: 12 for 15 (80%)

• Layups: 29 for 44 (65.9%)

• Paint jumpers: 4 for 4 (100%)

• Midrange jumpers: 3 for 15 (20%)

• 3-pointers: 32 for 78 (41%)

Opposing defenses will only get tougher from here, but the Cards have already built a sturdy foundation to build upon and tweak depending on matchups.

The Cards are no slouches on defense, either

One stretch of Louisville's win over Calgary speaks louder than any other of the trip.

Between the 18:43 and 2:05 marks of the second half, the Cards held the Dinos to 1-for-21 shooting while turning a 20-point lead into a 47-point advantage. They could have let up defensively but didn't.

Before U of L set off for the Bahamas, assistant coach/defensive coordinator Brian Kloman told The Courier Journal this team was going to be the best he's had on that end across his decade of working on Kelsey's staffs at Winthrop and Charleston. At their previous stops, he said, they targeted high schoolers and transfers for their offensive prowess and tried to "teach the mess" out of defense.

Armed with the Cards' prestige and resources on the name, image and likeness front, that's changed. Kloman said they were able to sign a bevy of pesky two-way players who pride themselves on locking down opponents.

Take Bahamas Select's Dominick Bridgewater, for example. The 5-foot-10 guard dropped 53 points in a 109-104 loss to UNC Wilmington two days before playing Louisville but was held to only eight against the Cards.

Across two games, Kelsey's team forced 38 turnovers and converted them into 48 points while limiting the Bahamians and Canadians to only 18 offensive rebounds.

"We're not going to throw parades because we dive for loose balls and crash the glass," Kelsey said. "That's the expectation."

That should be music to fans' ears after U of L finished the 2023-24 season ranked 214th in the country on KenPom.com in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Pat Kelsey built deep roster

The expectation was for Kelsey to be generous with minutes in the Bahamas, and he was pleased with how it played out.

"Everybody played together," he said, "and I think that was one thing that was great to see — the chemistry on the floor beginning to build; guys sharing the ball, playing together (and) making unselfish basketball plays."

There will no doubt be plenty of teaching moments — and players who stood out above others — when the Louisville staff runs back the tape; but they should be confident in their ability to have a 10-man rotation.

Depth takes on extra importance when you play as fast as Kelsey's teams do. Charleston ranked second in the country on KenPom in tempo during his first season with the Cougars (2021-22) and finished 29th and 51st, respectively, the previous two campaigns. In 2023-24, he had 10 guys with minute shares of 25% or more.

That seems doable in Year 1 with the Cards. The majority of his roster is heading into its final season of eligibility with NCAA Tournament experience under its belts; and the lone freshman, Khani Rooths, proved himself more than capable of keeping up in his first collegiate runs — totaling 18 points, 17 rebounds, three assists (against as many turnovers) a block and a +33 plus-minus rating across 44 minutes.

"We've got a long, long, long way to go," Kelsey said, "but I love this team — love the makeup, love the approach, love our toughness — and we've got a chance to be really, really good."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball Bahamas trip takeaways: Pat Kelsey U of L debut