Jones adds Kelsey to staff
LSU report
LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones announced on Monday that Tom Kelsey, the head men’s basketball coach at Belhaven University will join the staff as the director of basketball operations.
Jones and Kelsey worked together in 2000-01, when the two were assistants at Alabama.
Kelsey has been the head coach at Belhaven, an NAIA school, for the past seven seasons, going 137-115.
“We are excited to have coach Tom Kelsey joining us here at LSU,” Jones said. “He’s been successful at every stop in his college career as either an assistant or as the head coach, having a positive impact and influence on the program.
“He is highly organized and will be a great asset to our program here at LSU.”
Gymnastics
CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER SIGNS WITH TIGERS: LSU coach D-D Breaux announced Monday the signing of Jessica Savona for the 2013 season.
A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Savona is a six-time Canadian National Team member, and she has represented Canada in several international meets, including the 2010 Pan Am Championships in Mexico, the 2010 World Championships in the Netherlands and the 2011 Japan Cup.
“I am really excited about Jessica, because she has an extremely high level of difficulty in each event, and she performs skills that can compete on the world stage,” Breaux said.
“She is truly an elite-level athlete, so to bring in a freshman of that quality along with Randii Wyrick and the squad we already have in place will only make us better.”
Softball
MACK NAMED TO SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM: In Birmingham, Ala., senior pitcher Brittany Mack was named to the SEC Community Service Team, the league office announced Monday.
Mack created and championed the “Geaux Play” program where over 400 sporting goods items were collected at LSU softball home games for the special needs children of the Miracle League in Baton Rouge. The Miracle League kids were Brittany’s special VIP guests as part of “Geaux Play” day at the park April 22. Afterward, the special needs children joined the Tigers on the field for a game.
Mack also has been involved with Thanksgiving with the Tigers, where her team adopted an underprivileged child for the holidays. The Tigers provided gifts at a special program, while also serving a Thanksgiving style meal.
Mack has been a mainstay at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital Visits where her team went room-to-room visiting hospital patients and their families to cheer them up with autographed posters.
During her career, Mack has earned spots on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District and she was an NFCA Scholar-Athlete.