NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2016 season
By Joey Loose
6. Kyle Keller (Stephen F. Austin)
Comparatively, Stephen F. Austin was the low major program in the best shape come 2016. Outgoing coach Brad Underwood had just led the Lumberjacks to three straight NCAA Tournaments and a pair of first-round upset wins, greatly elevating the program beyond anything expected. With his exit, the Lumberjack’s next head coach was faced with the impossible task of following up such an impressive act.
Kyle Keller accepted the challenge, taking over his first D1 program. He was a former junior college head coach and had spent two decades as a D1 assistant. A former aide at schools like Kansas and Oklahoma State, he had spent the last five seasons on Billy Kennedy’s staff at Texas A&M.
Keller’s done pretty solid work considering what he inherited. An eligibility issue has put a black cloud over the program recently, but he did lead the Lumberjacks back to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and had them in prime position had their conference tournament not been cancelled in 2020.
The highlight of his tenure so far was the 2019 victory on the road at top-ranked Duke. Keller may not have the Tournament victories (yet) but Stephen F. Austin is still a top-level program under his leadership.