Kyle Keller led the Lumberjacks to an NCAA tournament appearance and a historic upset over Duke in 2019.
Kyle Keller’s run in Nacogdoches is over.
Stephen F. Austin announced that it had fired Keller on Wednesday afternoon, marking the first significant firing of the 2024-25 campaign. Associate head coach Tony Jasick will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Stephen F. Austin Parts Ways with Men’s Basketball HC Kyle Keller
📰 : https://t.co/NF4y8JvAlY#AxeEm x #PressU pic.twitter.com/6TwPRWycT3
— SFA Men’s Basketball (@SFA_MBB) January 22, 2025
“We want to thank Kyle for his positive contributions and leadership over the past nine seasons, including memorable and iconic wins at some of the most hallowed sites in college basketball that will forever be etched in SFA history,” athletic director Michael McBroom said in a statement. “We wish him well in his future opportunities.”
Though the Lumberjacks were off to a brutal start this season, Keller went on a pretty remarkable run with the program. He was hired to replace Brad Underwood ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, and he racked up three 20-win seasons in his nine campaigns with the school. They won the Southland Conference title in 2018 after going 28-7 on the year and reached the NCAA tournament, though they fell in the first round.
While that was their only tournament appearance, the Lumberjacks stunned then-No. 1 Duke in overtime the following year on a buzzer beater at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That snapped Duke’s 150-game home win streak against non-conference opponents.
In total, Keller went 171-95 in his nine seasons at Stephen F. Austin. He won the Southland Coach of the Year award during the 2019-20 campaign, too. They went 28-3 that season and were on pace to make the NCAA tournament, though it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stephen F. Austin holds just an 8-11 record this season and started out 1-7 in conference play. The Lumberjacks have lost three straight and five of their last six heading into Saturday’s game against Northwestern State.
