Keathley has been in the coaching industry for 10 seasons now, and has yet to record a losing record. He is an innovator of the game and is best known for his extreme version of the Run-N-Gun offensive which was responsible for his team averaging an absurd 111 points per game in the 2007-2008 season.  It is a true rarity to find such a young coach with such a vast knowledge and passion for the game. With that combination, the sky is the limit for Coach Keathley.

The Miners finished the month with a 6-0 record against ABA opponents. They started their season on the road against the Kentucky Bisons in Owensboro before moving onto a five game home stand.

The Miners first hosted the West Virginia Blazers and defeated them 140-94 (7-0) and 119-87 (7-0). The Bisons then made a trip to Pikeville with revenge on their minds, but were unsuccessful as they lost 132-106 (6.5 – .5) to the Miners. The West Virginia Wild were the next opponent on the Miners schedule, but they did little damage to the Miners as they lost 154-111 (7-0) and 172-70 (7-0).

“Coach Keathley has started the season on a hot streak and has a team that is a good mix of established veterans and up and coming pros,” said CBA Commissioner Dennis Truax. “They will be a formable team the whole season and will be a tough team to beat.”

East Kentucky Miners (Kevin Keathley) (1-0) vs. Kentucky Bisons

The ABA-CBA Interleague Challenge kicked off last night in Owensboro, Kentucky as the East Kentucky Miners traveled to take on the Kentucky Bisons. The Miners featured former CBA MVP Galen Young and University of Kentucky star Wayne Turner as they looked to take on a new state rival. The Miners ran out to a 23-20 lead and coasted to a 51-45 halftime lead. The Bisons battled back to win the 3rd quarter 30-27, but the Miners held on to capture the first interleague game with the ABA, 102-94. The Miners take game one of forty-two in the Interleague Challenge. Leading the way for the Miners was Jermaine Blackburn with 26 points on 12 for 19 shooting. Joe Buck had 17 points and pulled down a game high 18 rebounds. Young had his usual balanced game of 10 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Turner had a game high 9 assists for the Miners.

12/13/08

Marquette (Scott Monarch) (8-1) vs. IPFW

After a monster day by Lazar Hayward, Marquette coach Buzz Williams invoked the names of two medium-sized NBA guys known for playing big: Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman. Hayward certainly fit the mold on Saturday. The 6-foot-6 Hayward was dominant in the 24th-ranked Golden Eagles’ 69-50 victory over Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds.

Louisiana Lafayette (Robert Lee) (3-4) vs. Louisiana College

Travis Bureau scored all 15 of his points in the first half to help Louisiana-Lafayette to an 85-58 rout of Louisiana College on Saturday night. Bureau was one of 11 players that scored for the Ragin’ Cajuns (3-4), who outrebounded the Wildcats 45-16 and scored more points in the paint by a 44-16 margin. Louisiana-Lafayette has won 17 straight games against Division III Louisiana College (2-6), averaging 102.6 points per game in their five previous meetings.

Lamar (Kermit Davis) (7-3) vs. Texas Tech

Kenny Dawkins scored 22 points to lead Lamar past Texas Tech 85-77 on Saturday night, the Cardinals’ first win over a Big 12 team since 1999. Dawkins had 10 points during a 15-4 Lamar run that turned a 48-44 deficit into a 59-52 lead with 10:38 remaining. Texas Tech (7-2) pulled with one at 78-77 on a 3-pointer by Alan Voskuil with 36 seconds left. Dawkins then missed the second free throw after a foul, but Jay Brown grabbed an offensive rebound for Lamar (7-3). Brown made both free throws and the Cardinals held on from there. Brown finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

12/14/08

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (6-2) vs. Union College

Tennessee Tech blew past Union College by a score of 87-40 on Sunday. Tennessee Tech was led by Frank Davis who had 11 points and 5 boards. Every player on the Tennessee Tech roster scored on Sunday night.

SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (2-8) vs. Bradley

Bradley to a 75-62 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday. Bradley (5-4) was able to withstand a second-period rally from Southeast Missouri (2-8), which scored 23 points in the first period but came back after the break to add 39. Kenard Moore led the Redhawks with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while Jajuan Maxwell added 16 points from the bench. Southeast Missouri suffered from 23 turnovers, which Bradley turned into 32 points. LaMont Russell had a game-high nine rebounds for the Redhawks.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (6-2) vs. Georgia Tech

Scott Vandermeer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Josh Mayo added 11 of his 17 points in the closing minutes to lead Illinois-Chicago to a 66-60 win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. Jeremy Buttell hit a 3-point basket with 42 seconds left to break a tie and give Illinois-Chicago a 60-57 lead, helping the Flames (6-2) to their fifth straight win.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (0-11) vs. Old Dominion

Old Dominion got a 79-54 win against North Carolina Central on Sunday. Philip Branch scored a game-high 15 points, including hitting 5 of 11 3-point attempts, to lead the Eagles. The Monarchs shot 57.6 percent from the field (19 of 33) in the first half, earning them a 41-19 halftime lead. The Eagles were just 1 of 10 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (4-4) vs. Albuquerque

The Vipers thumped the Thunderbirds 122-99 on Sunday to improve to 4-4 on the season. The Vipers were led by Stanley Asumnu who scored 27 points and added 8 rebounds. Trent Strickland was equally productive, scoring 25 points with 6 rebounds.

Bowling

Dynasty client Patrick Allen was in the finals of the Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship on Sunday. The event was shown live on ESPN.

Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla. struck out in the 10^th in the final position round to beat out Mika Koivuniemi by six pins to nab the fourth and final spot in Sunday’s finals. It was his second consecutive televised appearance.

Allen faced No. 3 seed Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J. in the first men’s stepladder match. Bohn beat Allen in the match-up.

2.
Q. What team goals were met or surpassed in the first season?
A. Well, anytime you begin a year, you want to be a contender. Being a first-year franchise is a lot of work and really puts us behind the other established teams. As a first-year team, we had a personal goal of finishing .500 and we surpassed that with 26 wins. We made the playoffs and every basketball game we competed in – with the exception of one – we had a chance to win with three minutes to play. Secondly, I promised an uptempo style. I wanted to be in the top-three in the CBA in scoring as a team and we ended up winning the team scoring title, averaging nearly 111 points a game. Overall as a team, I thought we did a good job on the floor. It was about getting better one day at time and we did that. I’m very proud of my guys.

3.
Q. What goals have already been set for the 2008-09 campaign?
A. As a coach, I can’t place goals on a team I don’t have assembled yet. However, I do believe with the foundation we built this past season we have a chance to be just as good or better. I think we will have the ability to go out and get some really good veteran players along with a couple of solid rookies. I can promise one thing though, we are going to work hard every possession and we’re gonna run all day, run all night and run a little longer. Nothing is going to change in terms of our style of play.

4.
Q. Looking back at the 2007-08 season, who was the most talented player you coached against and why?
A. Talent comes in a lot of different forms. But, the whole package would probably have been Ronnie Fields from Minot. He had the ability to control the game in various ways. He was certainly a big time player with the knack to knock down big shots for his team.

5.
Q. During the season, did you have a chance to follow NBA or college hoops?
A. As much as I could. With a 48-game schedule and the time we spent traveling, we had very little time for TV. But, I followed college basketball as much as I could both on the local level and nationally. I thought Pikeville College put a good product on the floor this past year. Coach Wells and Coach Riley did a good job of working with those guys. From all indications, it looks like they have all the makings for an excellent season in the fall. I thought Coach G over in Lexington did some things to get Kentucky moving in the right direction again. He’s an outstanding coach and I expect Kentucky to keep getting better and better in the coming years.

6.
Q. Growing up in Floyd County, Ky., near the Pike County, Ky. line, did you ever think you would be coaching a professional basketball team in Pikeville, Ky.?
A. I never thought there would ever be a professional basketball team in Pikeville. There just wasn’t the facilities to hold it. But, with the Expo Center now in Eastern Kentucky, it’s making for a lot of new ventures possible. It also had to take people with a big vision to make this possible and that’s what Mr. Ford and Mr. Fiedler had. They saw something in Pikeville and invested a lot of money and time into this area. It wouldn’t have happened without their dedication and commitment. I’m glad Pikeville and Eastern Kentucky is getting more attention now. It’s a wonderful place with a lot of potential. If we helped make a dent in this community in a positive manner then we have already succeeded.

7.
Q. How did the East Kentucky Expo Center – your home arena – shape up compared to the home venues of the other CBA teams?
A. As a facility itself, it’s an outstanding arena – great for minor league basketball. It was probably one of the top three arenas in the CBA this past year. As always, there are pros and cons with each arena, but strictly talking about the facility you couldn’t ask for anything better. Some people may not know this, but we’ve dubbed the Expo center the Coal Mine. Hopefully we have about 6,000 people in the Coal Mine on opening night.

8.
Q. Did you have a player or coach you idolized growing up?
A. I was a huge Magic Johnson fan growing up. He did everything well and was the ultimate winner. I looked up to Rick Pitino when I was younger as well.

9.
Q. What sport did you take to first?
A. Basketball.

10.
Q. What are the three things outside of basketball that mean the most to you?
A. My Children – they are my heart and soul. My Family – I’m very thankful for the family I have and appreciate everything they do. My relationship with God. Ultimately, I hope I have served God’s Purpose.