Stephen F. Austin fires coach Kyle Keller in midst of his ninth season after 1-7 start in Southland play

Stephen F. Austin fired basketball coach Kyle Keller amid an 8-11 start to the season and a three-game losing streak, the school announced Wednesday. Keller had been with the program since the 2016-17 season, but was 1-7 in Southland Conference play before the school made the move announcing the change in a press release.   

“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,” SFA athletic director Michael McBroom said in the statement. “We wish him well in his future opportunities.”

Stephen F. Austin associate head coach Tony Jasick will serve as the program’s interim coach for the remainder of the season. He joined Keller’s staff in 2021.

Keller helped guide SFA to the NCAA Tournament in his second season with the program in 2018 but missed out on the Big Dance every year since. Keller complied a 171-95 record across nine seasons with SFA. Keller was hired to replace current Illinois coach Brad Underwood after he left to take the vacant job at Oklahoma State. 

Keller led the Lumberjacks to one of the biggest recent upsets in the sport when SFA shocked then-No. 1 Duke with an 85-83 overtime victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium in November 2019 to snap the Blue Devils’ 150-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents.   

SFA has lost five of its last six games heading into its next game against Northwestern State on Saturday.