UMass officially announced the hiring of Winthrop's Pat Kelsey as the team's new head coach on Tuesday.

Kelsey, 41, took Winthrop to the NCAA tourney this season, his fifth with the Eagles. He was previously an assistant at Xavier and Wake Forest, where he worked for Skip Prosser.

Pat Kelsey asked to be released from his contract at UMass some 30 minutes before he was scheduled to be introduced in Amherst. Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

"UMass is a national college basketball brand with a proud, powerful tradition," Kelsey said. "As a player in the A-10, I saw firsthand what the potential is there. I look forward to the challenge of making UMass a major factor on the national level once again."

"Pat has been an important piece of some highly successful programs throughout his career, including the last five years leading the basketball program at Winthrop University," UMass director of athletics Ryan Bamford said. "Coach Kelsey has a detailed plan for every phase of our program and a passionate work ethic providing fuel to reach our goals of building a championship-caliber program."

Kelsey replaces Derek Kellogg, who was let go earlier this month after nine seasons at the school.