Keener names first assistant

A trip to the national championship game and receiving a head coaching job all in the same week might seem like an unreal fantasy — at least for a few hours.

Since he was named JMU’s men’s basketball coach at a press conference last Wednesday, Dean Keener said reality has come knocking at his door.

“[Reality sank in] just by the phone calls and the workload,” Keener joked in his office Wednesday. “But all have been very positive. There have been no negatives to the situations.”

One of his first tasks is hiring a new staff. Keener filled one of his three assistant positions last Friday, hiring Rhode Island College head coach Michael Kelly. Kelly resigned last week in order to accept the position with the Dukes.

Keener and Kelly have known each other since 1994, Keener said. The two worked together at Virginia Tech from 1997 to 1999, where Keener was an assistant and Kelly was the director of operations.

“He’s just a good basketball coach with a good mind, and now having spent the last three years as the head coach at Rhode Island College, he can bring a lot of things to the table having called his own timeouts before,” Keener said.

“Most of all, he’s a good friend,” Keener added. “I know we will work well together.”

Kelly was hired at Rhode Island College prior to the 2001-’02 season, and he led his team to a 1-24 record. The following season, he helped Rhode Island College finish 13-13, one of the best turnarounds in NCAA Division III men’s basketball history. This season, his team finished 11-15 in the Little East Conference.

“This was a very difficult decision to make,” Kelly said of his decision to leave Rhode Island College in a press release. “It is especially tough to leave my players. This was an excellent opportunity for me professionally and I am looking forward to working on coach Keener’s staff at James Madison University.”

Kelly is expected to join the team today.

Keener said he would like to complete his staff hiring by the beginning of next week and, at the latest, by the middle of next week. He added he has several people in mind, but other factors are involved.

“One has some things to work through with his school right now,” Keener said.

He also said members of former coach Sherman Dillard’s staff still are under consideration.

“I’ve talked with the current staff, and certainly they are all good people,” Keener said.

“Certainly they are all under heavy consideration. It comes down to I don’t have enough positions for all the good people, all the good applicants. I’m going to have to make some hard decisions.”

Keener said he wants to hire someone who is loyal and hardworking who can recruit and network.

“Every assistant has to bring something different to the table,” he added. “I don’t want three or four guys on staff that all do the same thing or bring the same qualities. I want some diversity.”