Kansas State University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Kelly, Curtis
Curtis Kelly
- Title:
- Graduate Student Manager
- Email:
- cekelly@k-state.edu
- Phone:
- (785) 532-6531
- Instagram:
- cooley_kellz7
Curtis Kelly At A Glance
Former Wildcat Curtis Kelly returned to his alma mater as a graduate student manager on August 16, 2021 after an eight-year professional playing career. He enters his second year in his position in 2022-23 after being retained by head coach Jerome Tang.
A native of Bronx, New York, Kelly spent three seasons (2008-11) at K-State, including a redshirt season in 2008-09, and guided the Wildcats to 52 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2010, 2011) after transferring from Connecticut (2006-08). He scored nearly 700 points (11.1 ppg.) and grabbed nearly 400 rebounds (5.9 rpg.) in his Wildcat career. He still ranks among the Top 10 in two career categories, placing fifth in both field goal percentage (55.1) and blocked shots (107).
As a junior in 2009-10, Kelly played on one of the most exciting teams in school history, as the Wildcats won a school-record 29 games and nearly advanced to the Final Four. He teamed with All-Americans Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen to set the school’s single-season record for games played (37) and started (37) while also leading the team in double-doubles (4), field goal percentage (56.5) and rebounding (6.2 rpg.). His signature game as a Wildcat came in thrilling two-overtime win over Xavier in the NCAA West Regional Semifinal, in which, he scored 21 points on 9-of-17 field goals to go with a team-high 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists in a career-best 43 minutes.
Kelly finished his career in 2010-11, guiding the Wildcats to the third round of the NCAA Tournament while averaging 10.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting with 5.5 rebounds per game.
After graduating from K-State in 2011, Kelly logged eight professional seasons in various pro leagues in six countries (Israel, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, France and The Philippines) before retiring in August 2021. In all, he tallied 3,234 points (13.2 ppg.) and 1,606 rebounds (6.6 rpg.) in 245 professional games in his career. He was the 2012 Balkan League Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Balkan League Second Team selection after averaging 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for Israeli National League Champion Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Most recently, Kelly played for Akhisar Bial in Turkish Basketball League (TBL) in 2019, averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25 games.
Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from K-State in 2011.
- Enters his second season as a graduate assistant at K-State after returning to his alma mater in 2020-21
- Spent eight years playing professionally around the world, including Israel, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, France and The Philippines
- Played three seasons at K-State, helping the Wildcats to 52 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances
- Still ranks among the Top 10 in two career categories, including fifth in field goal percentage (55.1) and blocked shots (107)
- How Curtis Kelly Came Home to K-State Men's Basketball (K-State Sports Extra, August 31, 2021)
Former Wildcat Curtis Kelly returned to his alma mater as a graduate student manager on August 16, 2021 after an eight-year professional playing career. He enters his second year in his position in 2022-23 after being retained by head coach Jerome Tang.
A native of Bronx, New York, Kelly spent three seasons (2008-11) at K-State, including a redshirt season in 2008-09, and guided the Wildcats to 52 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2010, 2011) after transferring from Connecticut (2006-08). He scored nearly 700 points (11.1 ppg.) and grabbed nearly 400 rebounds (5.9 rpg.) in his Wildcat career. He still ranks among the Top 10 in two career categories, placing fifth in both field goal percentage (55.1) and blocked shots (107).
As a junior in 2009-10, Kelly played on one of the most exciting teams in school history, as the Wildcats won a school-record 29 games and nearly advanced to the Final Four. He teamed with All-Americans Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen to set the school’s single-season record for games played (37) and started (37) while also leading the team in double-doubles (4), field goal percentage (56.5) and rebounding (6.2 rpg.). His signature game as a Wildcat came in thrilling two-overtime win over Xavier in the NCAA West Regional Semifinal, in which, he scored 21 points on 9-of-17 field goals to go with a team-high 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists in a career-best 43 minutes.
Kelly finished his career in 2010-11, guiding the Wildcats to the third round of the NCAA Tournament while averaging 10.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting with 5.5 rebounds per game.
After graduating from K-State in 2011, Kelly logged eight professional seasons in various pro leagues in six countries (Israel, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, France and The Philippines) before retiring in August 2021. In all, he tallied 3,234 points (13.2 ppg.) and 1,606 rebounds (6.6 rpg.) in 245 professional games in his career. He was the 2012 Balkan League Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Balkan League Second Team selection after averaging 15.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for Israeli National League Champion Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Most recently, Kelly played for Akhisar Bial in Turkish Basketball League (TBL) in 2019, averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25 games.
Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from K-State in 2011.
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