Santa Clara University announced that head men’s basketball coach Kerry Keating has been given a multi-year contract extension. In addition to winning 24 games and the CIT in 2011 and 26 games and the CBI title in 2013, the Keating-led Broncos are one of just two teams nationally to finish with a post-season tournament win twice in the past seven years.
"We are confident in Coach Keating’s leadership of our basketball program," said Bronco Athletic Director Dan Coonan. "In addition to the recent success, I like the youth in the program, the depth of talent and the way they are all buying in. We’ve graduated each of the 17 seniors to go through the program with Coach, but beyond that I love what they are telling us in their exit interviews. They relished their time here as student-athletes, they grew as athletes and as people in the program, and they are having the type of transformational life experience that we seek for all our teams. The program is headed in the right direction, and Kerry is the right person to bring us to the next level."
"Our family is extremely thrilled to be able to continue building towards our future success here at Santa Clara," said Keating. "We are very grateful for all the players and coaches who have helped us establish a great foundation with Bronco basketball. I would like to thank Dan Coonan and Father Engh for their continued loyalty and support."
Under Keating’s watch all 17 Bronco seniors who finished their eligibility graduated, including this year’s 2013 class of Academic All-American Marc Trasolini, Kevin Foster – the school’s all-time leading scorer, Niyi Harrison, Raymond Cowels III and Kyle Perricone. Three of the Broncos (Trasolini, Cowels III and Perricone) were honored in June on the 12th annual West Coast Conference Commissioner’s list with a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average. Trasolini (Italy), Foster (Turkey) and Cowels III (Holland) are all playing professionally overseas this season.
Entering his seventh season at SCU in 2013-14, Keating possesses the third-most overall wins in the WCC in the past six years behind Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett. For the first time in WCC history, the Broncos had four 1,000 point scorers on the 2012-13 team: No. 1 Kevin Foster (2,423), No. 5 Marc Trasolini (1,699), No. 19 Evan Roqeumore (1,316) and No. 26 Raymond Cowels III (1,090).
Keating is the only coach to have participated in the finals of all four current post-season tournaments. The Broncos finished the 2012-13 season with a 26-12 record and won the CBI, which included winning three games on the road at Purdue, Wright State and George Mason. The plus 18 win total ties the biggest turnaround (18) in Division I basketball history, matching UTEP in 2004.
The 1993 Seton Hall graduate was a walk-on for head coach P.J. Carlesimo’s Pirates during the 1989-90 season. Keating began his 23-year coaching career the following year and served as a student assistant coach and video coordinator from 1990-93.
