Peyton Siva writing next chapter with Louisville basketball as part of Pat Kelsey's staff

Reporters flocked to Peyton Siva faster than he moved off the dribble during his Louisville men's basketball glory days.

"Where did you guys all come from?" he asked. "I told you guys it wasn't my media day."

Siva had a point. The day belonged to Pat Kelsey, and the new head coach owned it when he stepped to the mic at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center.

But Siva also knows better than to assume he can go anywhere in his hoops-crazed city without drawing a crowd. Having been the face of a program that calls its players "Cardinals forever," the star point guard of its 2013 national championship team will always be part of the story.

What he didn't tell reporters that day was his plan to be more involved with his alma mater as it heads into a new era. It wasn't set in stone then but, in hindsight, feels like a no-brainer.

Less than a month later, Siva was introduced as Kelsey's director of player development and alumni relations; a title former U of L great Milt Wagner held during Kenny Payne's disastrous two-year tenure.

The position calls for someone who specializes in relationship-building, with members of the current roster and those who built the foundation on which they stand.

Siva has fit the bill for a while; so much so that he said the hardest part of the new gig is not being able to talk to players from Payne's teams who have hit the NCAA transfer portal.

The star of the 2022-23 squad, El Ellis, told The Courier Journal he considers Siva a "big brother." Last season's bunch got to witness his commitment to the game firsthand when he trained at the Kueber Center during the buildup to The Basketball Tournament (TBT) with Russ Smith and other ex-Cards.

Payne implored his guys to pay attention, telling them "that's what you should be as a basketball player."

Now, mentoring is Siva's full-time job. The 33-year-old Seattle native has left the gym he opened in Norton Commons, Shoot 360, in the care of his general manager, Dean Baumert, and his wife, Patience, so he can hit the ground running with Kelsey in hopes of restoring the program to national prominence.

"Louisville is a sleeping giant right now," he said. "Hopefully we can wake it up and get things rolling."

Siva first expressed interest in the job to athletics director Josh Heird and others around the program prior to Kelsey's arrival.

They met briefly before his introductory news conference; which left Siva feeling as if the 48-year-old Cincinnati native would be a "great fit."

"When they were going through the whole coaching search, my big thing was, 'Whoever they bring in has to have a big personality,'" he told the aforementioned gaggle of reporters at the Kueber Center. "You have to be able to engage the fan base; you have to be able to communicate with everybody.

"He brings that high energy; he brings that infectious personality that all (his) former players seem to love."

A few days later, Siva said he and Kelsey had a longer conversation over the phone. By then, he said, someone had relayed to the head coach his desire to join the staff.

Kelsey extended an offer, noting in a statement when the hire was made official Siva's "impeccable character, charismatic disposition" and adoration for his adopted home.

"He just gushes when he talks about the fabric of this community, the closeness, the love (for) the University of Louisville," the coach said during an April 26 appearance on WHBE 680 AM with Bob Valvano.

Heird couldn't be happier about the two linking up and said Siva has "the perfect model" for what the position should be in Deion Branch, who oversees player development/alumni relations for head football coach Jeff Brohm.

"It's twofold," Heird said April 19. "It's, one, being a mentor for the current student-athletes and saying, 'Hey, if you want to achieve at the highest level, compete for championships, here are some things that helped me get to the successes that I've had.'

"Then, on the alumni side, just having a person like Deion or Peyton — there's going to be times where, if I reach out to an alum, they may not pick up the phone. If Peyton or Deion reaches out to them, they're almost certainly going to take the call."

Siva was an early riser before he joined Kelsey's staff. Now, when he wakes up about 6 a.m., he's often greeted by texts from the head coach.

The passion Kelsey oozes is "refreshing," Siva said — and reverberates around his regime; from those who have followed him from Charleston to former LSU assistant Ronnie Hamilton.

"His staff is a reflection of him," Siva said. "All those guys — (they) might not have as much energy as him — but (they're) super smart, super talented in their own rights and very knowledgeable of their specific positions.

"They really work well together," he added. "I can see why they've been successful other places."

As for their preferred style of play, Siva predicts Louisville fans "are going to be really excited." He did pretty well for himself under Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, totaling 1,215 career points and the second-most assists (677) and steals (254) in program history, but said Kelsey's offense would have done wonders for his 29.1% clip from 3-point range.

"It's super unique," he said. "I wouldn't say innovative, but (it's) along with the times — where basketball is going."

Siva will not have a hands-on role during practices. He can, however, provide insight during film sessions while helping players manage their lives off the court.

Then, there's the recruiting side of things.

Kelsey has already landed one player from Washington, sophomore guard Koren Johnson, since Siva's hiring. When news of Johnson's commitment hit X, formerly Twitter, Siva shared a photo from his days on the AAU circuit with Seattle Rotary. Johnson also played for that team as a high schooler.

When former Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn arrived in Louisville on April 24 for the visit that led to his pledge, Siva was among those who welcomed the Big Ten All-Defensive Team member at the airport. That evening, he took Hepburn to the Chow Wagon at Waterfront Park, where they handed out Cards gear to fans.

It was just the beginning of perhaps the most important task on Siva's to-do list; getting what's shaping up to be a roster of entirely new scholarship players from the transfer portal to understand just how much the program and its rich history means to the community and, in turn, "how much it should mean to them."

If all goes according to plan, that should foster pride in donning a U of L jersey — something Payne said was lacking at multiple points during his 12-52 tenure.

"Getting everybody to buy into that, it's going to be tough," Siva said, "but they have a job to do. Their job is to win games, and that's going to take some sacrifices. They just have to realize that."

Those who don't have the ability to do something he couldn't back in the day, transfer to a new school without having to worry about losing a year of eligibility. Factor in name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation and it's a whole new landscape — where even loyal players such as Hepburn, a three-year starter for the Badgers, are testing their market value.

Siva's goal is to keep guys around "as long as possible," but he won't stand in the way of professional aspirations or Kelsey's vision for the program.

"I'm (not) lowering the standard for somebody to try to make them stay here," he said. "The standard is the standard, keeping it as honest and truthful as I can with them."

Siva began pondering the coaching route while his pro career was winding down in Australia. He got his feet wet in 2022 by serving as a staffer at NBA Players Association's Top 100 Camp.

In his statement upon Siva's hiring, Kelsey said the former point guard could be "a sure-fire head coach down the road."

Smith, his old backcourt running mate, agrees.

"Peyton's always been (a) coach; he was born for this," Smith said. "I don't know when, but he's going to have a clipboard of his own really soon; and he's going to be calling the shots somewhere really soon. He's going to have a long, great career on the sidelines."

Less than a month into the job, Siva wasn't ready to look that far ahead.

"I'm enjoying it so far," he said, "so we'll see."

What he will do, however, is rattle off the names of coaches who have helped guide him to this point in his life.

If his goal is to follow in their footsteps, he's on the right path.

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 star Peyton Siva's journey to Pat Kelsey's staff