The greatest dynasty in Division II sports history has arguably found its new coach.
After 15 seasons, four national championships – including the only three-peat national title in Division II history – and 12 MIAA regular season titles with the program, this was announced on April 1 coach Ben McCollum was headed to Division I to become head of Drake’s men’s basketball program.
Days of searching for a replacement for the future Missouri Sports Hall of Famer led Northwest Athletics to announce Matt Keeley as the 21st head coach in the history of the Northwest men’s basketball program on April 13 .
“It’s a first place in Division II, maybe even first place,” Keeley said a few hours after the announcement. “I think the greatest resource and asset is the people, both the administration that’s on campus and the former Bearcats – you know, once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat – and even the people of Maryville. All of this contributes to making it such a special place.
Keeley comes to the Northwest after seven seasons with Ottawa-Arizona of the NAIA. He went 113-89 overall, while also leading the Spirit to Golden State Athletic Conference tournament titles in 2022 and 2023 and the National Christian College Athletic Association national championship game in 2021.
The Great Bend, Kansas, native is also well decorated himself, winning NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 2023 and NCCAA West Region Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
“I think if the biggest problem with Northwest’s job is that they win too much, that’s a good problem for any coach to have,” Keeley said. “Obviously, I’m very aware of Coach Mac’s success, I mean, it’s unprecedented. So the question makes sense, and it makes sense, you know: “How do you follow a guy like that?” But you take it one day at a time and you take care of the right things and you just trust in the idea that, you know, the program is great too.
Although no official introductory press conference has yet been scheduled, athletic director Andy Peterson released a statement on his thoughts on Keeley and his confidence in him moving forward. in the Northwest Athletics press release.
“I am very confident in recruiting Coach Keeley to lead our men’s basketball program,” Peterson said. “I have known him for a long time having played, coached and recruited against him over the years and I know who he is as a person and competitor. He will be an asset to our program, our department, our institution and our community.” I can’t wait to begin working with him in this next evolution of Bearcat men’s basketball.” “
Over the years, the MIAA has consistently been touted as one of the best conferences in the country, with three men’s basketball programs earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 2023-24 season.
Although he has spent time in Arizona since then, Keeley is no stranger to the MIAA. He was an assistant coach at Washburn from 2007 to 2009. He has also been around family as his sister, Cindy Keeley, helped Ichabod’s women’s basketball team win the 2005 national championship and his father, Mike Keeley, played football (1975-78) and baseball (1976-79) for the Ichabods and was a member of Washburn’s 2013 Hall of Fame class.
“I’m familiar with the level, the quality of the league and the quality of the coaches in the league,” Keeley said. “You know, I understand it’s a very, very talented level.”
During his tenure with the program, one of McCollum’s strengths was making athletes be even better in life than they are on the basketball court.
Keeley has spent the last seven years doing the same thing with Ottawa-Arizona and said that will continue to be one of his goals as he takes over the Bearcats.
“In itself, it’s pretty superficial, but when you’re able to use things from sports for that, you paint a picture of: ‘This is what it could be like as a father one day,’ or as a father. as a one-day employee or as a one-day business owner As if all of these things are ultimately used to set the stage for their next destination.
Keeley took her first step by doing so with Northwest. He said he received the hiring phone call early in the morning of the same day as the announcement, and one of the first things he did was call and talk to the players who are already a part of the team.
“These guys are Northwest guys through and through, and they went a week — which probably felt a lot longer than that — not being sure what was going to happen next,” Keeley said. “So, you know, now that I’m in place, you know, I just chat with them and reassure them about my plans. I plan to arrive on campus as early as possible next week and get to work.