Miscellaneous
Many of my new subscribers are here for the SEC stuff.We’ll get to that, but let’s first circle back to college basketball’s most memorable moment to this point in the season. I do my best to be impartial when it comes to covering sports.But sometimes, it’s fine to break the rules.One of those times was during the Nov. 26 game between No. 1 Duke and Stephen F. Austin at Cameron Indoor Stadium.It was a game that defined why we love college basketball. Unless you were a Duke fan, you were rooting for the underdog. You had no other choice. There was no detailed explanation needed as to why you were doing it. You were simply doing it for the story.And what a story it was for the Lumberjacks. Kyle Keller, a Texas native who is one of the most genuine people in the business, got the biggest win of his coaching career.Nathan Bain, who watched from afar as his family in the Bahamas lost nearly everything due to Hurricane Dorian, made a game-winning play that will be replayed over and over for years to come (and saw the school’s GoFundMe for his family reach nearly $150,000).The Stephen F. Austin program, one that has scored road wins at Baylor and LSU in recent years, finally got the national recognition that it deserved.It was everything non-Duke fans could want. It had the drama, it had the atmosphere, and it had a story that not even Evansville’s improbable win at Kentucky could replicate.The win itself was certainly a surprise. However, seeing a Keller-led team accomplish such a feat wasn’t surprising at all. The Lumberjacks pride themselves on toughness and attacking style of play, and those two characteristics were the difference.Luckily, having interacted with Keller (who was Billy Kennedy’s assistant at Texas A&M for five seasons) a lot over the years, he was kind enough to join us on the Marching to Madness podcast to discuss his team’s victory and the aftermath of it.We’ve had hundreds of coaches on the podcast since we started it in February 2016, but Keller is one of my favorites. He’s a humble, down-to-earth person who’s easy to talk to, and he’s also not afraid to tell it like it is.His kindness and generosity have gotten him far in his coaching career, even if it’s one that has come with adversity. I’d highly recommend that you listen to his recent podcast with Stadium’s Jeff Goodman to hear Keller tell the story about the tragic Oklahoma State plane crash in 2001 and how he continues to battle the emotions involved after a last-minute plane switch.In his conversation with us, he discussed the Duke win, how his players have handled all the national attention since the victory, Bain’s incredible journey to get to that memorable play, the Lumberjacks’ response with a win at Arkansas State, and much more.Keller’s team will hit the road again on Friday to play Alabama in a game that undoubtedly has Crimson Tide fans’ attention. Use the podcast player to listen to the full interview with Keller on Marching to Madness podcast.If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing for free to get new articles sent directly to your inbox. Get on the email list at blakelovell.substack.com