STOCKTON, Calif. – On Tuesday afternoon, Head Coach Dave Smart announced the addition of Mike Kelly to the Pacific men's basketball coaching staff, boasting a pedigree as a Head Coach in three different Professional Leagues and a spell leading the Australian Men's National Team.

"Mike is an extremely talented coach with a reputation for success everywhere he goes. He's proven that he knows what it takes to win, how to get the best out of his players and I couldn't be more excited to bring him onto the staff here to help elevate our program to the next level," Smart said.

In his most recent coaching stop prior to Pacific, Kelly was the Head Coach in China's Chinese Basketball Association, the country's top professional league, where he led the Shenzen Leopards to a semifinal's appearance in 2026.

On the world stage he took the Australian National Team to the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup and delivered the country its second ever title after going 6-0 and edging out Lebanon by two-points in the final.

Kelly also played a role in helping Australia qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, going 3-0 in his three games leading the club during the qualifying matches.

In addition to his time leading the Leopards, Kelly has made stops in Australia's and New Zealand's NBLs, both top leagues in their respective countries, highlighted by a Coach of the Year honor after taking the Cairns Taipans to the semifinals of the Australian NBL in 2020. As an assistant coach, he was part of a staff that won an Australian NBL title in 2018 with Melbourne United.

Along with his illustrious career abroad, Kelly has experience at the NCAA Division I level, spending five seasons in Orem, Utah as a part of Utah Valley's staff from 2008-13. A few highlights from his tenure in Orem include reaching the program's first D-I postseason tournament (2012 CIT) and the program's first All-American (Isiah Williams, 2011).

As a player, Kelly spent 15 years in Australia spanning eight teams. His career highlights include two Championships – both of which garnered him Grand Final MVP honors, one in 1993 in the SEABL League and another in 1996 in the NBL. On the back of his 1996 Grand Final MVP, he showcased as the league's top defender, winning consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1997-98.

"I am excited to be coming home to California and grateful for this wonderful opportunity at the University of the Pacific. The chance to work with Coach Smart and his staff is special for me. I look forward to helping our student-athletes grow and get better every day," Kelly said.
 
A native of Orange County, Kelly earned a bachelor's from Westmont College in 1989 and a master's from Concordia University in 2008.

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