Southeastern Louisiana University Men's Basketball

David Kiefer enters his sixth year as the head coach of the Southeastern Lions. In 2023-24, he led the Lions to 15 wins, including another winning season in the Southland Conference as the team finished with a 10-8 record in SLC play. One of those Southland wins was a 77-74 victory against a McNeese team which was receiving votes in both major Top 25 basketball polls at the time of the game. Nick Caldwell & Roger McFarlane were both named All-Southland Conference, Caldwell on the First Team & McFarlane on the Second Team, & All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Caldwell also snagged a Second Team All-Louisiana honor from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association while also being named the SLC's Student-Athlete of the Year. During the 2022-23 season, he became the fastest head coach in SLU history to reach 50 wins when an 83-60 win at Lamar brought him to the milestone after 120 games at the helm of the Lions. The 2022-23 Lions won 18 games following a 19-win season in 2021-22, the first time Southeastern won 15 or more games in back-to-back seasons since 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Lions also earned at least one bye in the Southland Conference Tournament for the second straight season. At the end of the season, "Boogie" Anderson was named All-Southland Conference First Team. In 2021-22, Kiefer joined Billy Kennedy (2004) as just the second coach in SLU program history to be named the Southland Conference's Coach of the Year. He guided the Lions to a 19-15 record for Southeastern's first winning season since 2018-19, a double-bye in the Southland Tournament and a berth in the conference tournament title game. The Lions also received a bid to The Basketball Classic postseason tournament which was the third time in school history that the program had reached a national tournament (2005 - NCAA, 2018 - NIT). The 2021-22 season also saw three players get selected to the All-Southland team, including Gus Okafor (1st team), Jalyn Hinton (2nd team) and Keon Clergeot (2nd team). Hinton was named Southland Defensive Player of the Year as well after leading the league in blocked shots with 81. SLU also broke several school records during year-three of the Kiefer era. The Lions scored 2,679 points, made 302 three-pointers, shot 76.9 percent as a team from the free throw line and made an all-time program high 19 three-pointers in a win over Southeastern Baptist. In his second season with the Lions, Kiefer guided SLU to the Southland Conference Tournament including a win over McNeese in the first round. During the campaign, SLU played one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the Southland, playing nine straight games on the road to start the season. The road trip included games in six different states with contests at LSU, Texas A&M, Louisiana Tech, California Baptist, UAB, Grambling, Stephen F. Austin and Lamar. The Lions defeated California Baptist in remarkable fashion erasing a 13-point deficit in the game's final nine minutes for an 81-80 win. Under Kiefer, guard Keon Clergeot was fourth in the nation in free throws made (155) and free throws attempted (192). Clergeot was also second in the Southland in scoring during league games averaging 17.9 points. In his rookie campaign as Lions' head man, Kiefer put a competitive squad together that battled their way through a 20-game Southland schedule with six freshmen, three juniors, two sophomores and just one senior. SLU lost six conference games by six points or less including two in overtime. Kiefer was named the 13th head coach in program history July 2, 2019 following SLU's 12-6 finish in the Southland Conference and 17-16 overall record in the 2018-19 season. The Lions advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament for the 15th time before falling in the semi-finals to Abilene Christian, 69-66. Prior to being named the Lions head coach, Kiefer served as an assistant on the SLU staff for four seasons, all under former head coach Jay Ladner. He was on staff when Southeastern won the Southland Conference’s regular season championship in 2017-18 as the Lions accrued a 22-12 overall record, going 15-3 in the Southland, giving SLU its first conference title of any type since 2004-05. Focusing mostly on guards as an assistant, Kiefer helped former Lion Marlain Veal develop into one of the best guards in the SLC as he ended his time in the green and gold as the program’s second-leading scorer as well as the all-time leader in both assists and steals. Kiefer came to Southeastern following a stint in the Southeastern Conference at the University of South Carolina where he spent a year on Frank Martin’s staff as the team’s director of video services while also coordinating Martin’s summer basketball camps. While with the Gamecocks, he worked with Sindarius Thornwell, who spent three seasons in the NBA, including a stint with the New Orleans Pelicans. His full-time coaching career started on the collegiate level started in the junior college ranks at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi for the 2012-13 season before moving to Northwest Florida State College a year later. His coaching career also includes stops at Arlington Country Day High in Texas, as a volunteer video assistant at the University of Central Florida, and at St. Mary’s Ryken of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). While furthering his education, he served as a student assistant on the men’s basketball team at both Kansas State and Cincinnati. At KSU, he watched the development of Michael Beasley, who would be picked second overall in the 2008 NBA Draft and go on to spend 10 seasons in the NBA. Other players he worked with who went on to play in the NBA includes Cartier Martin, Bill Walker, and James White.   Kiefer also assisted with two powerhouse AAU programs, the Florida Rams and the D.C. Assault.      Kiefer graduated from Kansas State with a degree in social sciences in 2007, and he received his master’s degree from Salem International in 2013. Kiefer and his wife Mia have a son, Austin, and twin daughters, Kayden and Nola.

Roane begins his second season at Southeastern as a member of Jay Ladner's first staff. Roane comes to the Lions following three seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Petal (Miss.) High School. Prior to that he spent one season as the head coach at his alma mater, Forrest County Agricultural High School, leading it to the first round of the south state tournament. Before returning to Forrest County Agricultural, Roane was at Jacksonville State University, where the Mississippi native teamed up once again with head coach James Green after the pair enjoyed tremendous success in a seven-year stint together at Southern Miss. Roane came to Jacksonville State after serving the previous two seasons as the head coach at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss. Roane was the first person named to Greens staff at JSU after he was named the schools head coach in the spring of 2008, bringing over 16 years of coaching experience at almost every level to the Gamecocks program. A native of Brooklyn, Miss., and a 1995 graduate of Southern Miss with a degree in coaching and sports administration, Roane got his coaching career started early, when he was named an assistant at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. He would spend the first four years of his career at PRCC, helping the Wildcats to the 1995 Mississippi state title along the way. In 1996, he joined Green as a member of his first staff at Southern Miss, where he served as an assistant for four seasons before being promoted to the Eagles Associate Head Coach in 2000, a position he would hold for three years. While in Hattiesburg, Roane helped guide the Eagles to a pair of 22-win seasons, the first of which came in 1997-98, when they posted a 22-11 record and advanced to the NIT to face Auburn. Roanes transition into the Associate Head Coachs role was a successful one, as the Eagles posted a 22-9 record and won Conference USAs regular season title in his first season in the new role. Southern Miss went 11-5 in league play, earning their second NIT berth in four seasons, this time taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. After his tenure at his collegiate alma mater Southern Miss, Roane took the reigns at his high school alma mater, Forrest County Agricultural High School in his hometown of Brooklyn. He spent two seasons as the Aggies head coach, taking them to back-to-back postseason appearances before going back to where his coaching career began at Pearl River CC. In his second stint with the Wildcats, Roane helped them to the South State Championship and a runner-up finish in Regional XXIII. He then moved on to Jones County Junior College, where he was named the schools head coach in 2006, the beginning of a two-year stay. Roane is married to the former Brooke Dykes. The couple has two children, Spencer and Shelby. EDUCATION Forrest County Agricultural HS (Brooklyn, Miss.) Southern Miss- Coaching/Sports Administration, 95 Southern Miss- Masters in Secondary Education, 97 PLAYING CAREER Pearl River Community College: 1991-92 COACHING CAREER Pearl River Community College - Assistant Coach: 1992-96 Southern Miss - Assistant Coach: 1996-00; Associate Head Coach: 2000-03 Forrest County Agricultural High School - Head Coach: 2003-05 Pearl River Community College - Assistant Coach: 2005-06 Jones County Junior College - Head Coach: 2006-08 Jacksonville State University - Assistant Coach: 2008-10 Forrest County Agricultural High School - Head Coach: 2010-11 Petal High School - Head Coach: 2011-2014 Kyle Roane Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Former Southern Miss and Jacksonville State assistant men's basketball coach Kyle Roane begins his second season at Southeastern as a member of Jay Ladner's first staff. Roane comes to the Lions following three seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Petal (Miss.) High School. Prior to that he spent one season as the head coach at his alma mater, Forrest County Agricultural High School, leading it to the first round of the south state tournament. Before returning to Forrest County Agricultural, Roane was at Jacksonville State University, where the Mississippi native teamed up once again with head coach James Green after the pair enjoyed tremendous success in a seven-year stint together at Southern Miss. Roane came to Jacksonville State after serving the previous two seasons as the head coach at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss. Roane was the first person named to Greens staff at JSU after he was named the schools head coach in the spring of 2008, bringing over 16 years of coaching experience at almost every level to the Gamecocks program. A native of Brooklyn, Miss., and a 1995 graduate of Southern Miss with a degree in coaching and sports administration, Roane got his coaching career started early, when he was named an assistant at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. He would spend the first four years of his career at PRCC, helping the Wildcats to the 1995 Mississippi state title along the way. In 1996, he joined Green as a member of his first staff at Southern Miss, where he served as an assistant for four seasons before being promoted to the Eagles Associate Head Coach in 2000, a position he would hold for three years. While in Hattiesburg, Roane helped guide the Eagles to a pair of 22-win seasons, the first of which came in 1997-98, when they posted a 22-11 record and advanced to the NIT to face Auburn. Roanes transition into the Associate Head Coachs role was a successful one, as the Eagles posted a 22-9 record and won Conference USAs regular season title in his first season in the new role. Southern Miss went 11-5 in league play, earning their second NIT berth in four seasons, this time taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. After his tenure at his collegiate alma mater Southern Miss, Roane took the reigns at his high school alma mater, Forrest County Agricultural High School in his hometown of Brooklyn. He spent two seasons as the Aggies head coach, taking them to back-to-back postseason appearances before going back to where his coaching career began at Pearl River CC. In his second stint with the Wildcats, Roane helped them to the South State Championship and a runner-up finish in Regional XXIII. He then moved on to Jones County Junior College, where he was named the schools head coach in 2006, the beginning of a two-year stay. Roane is married to the former Brooke Dykes. The couple has two children, Spencer and Shelby. EDUCATION Forrest County Agricultural HS (Brooklyn, Miss.) Southern Miss- Coaching/Sports Administration, 95 Southern Miss- Masters in Secondary Education, 97 PLAYING CAREER Pearl River Community College: 1991-92 COACHING CAREER Pearl River Community College - Assistant Coach: 1992-96 Southern Miss - Assistant Coach: 1996-00; Associate Head Coach: 2000-03 Forrest County Agricultural High School - Head Coach: 2003-05 Pearl River Community College - Assistant Coach: 2005-06 Jones County Junior College - Head Coach: 2006-08 Jacksonville State University - Assistant Coach: 2008-10 Forrest County Agricultural High School - Head Coach: 2010-11 Petal High School - Head Coach: 2011-2014

Cody McCoy begins his second season as a member of the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball staff for the start of the 2024-25 season. His first season at Southeastern was successful, helping David Kiefer guide the Lions to a third-straight season with a winning record in Southland Conference play, as well as a fourth-straight berth into the Southland Conference Championship Tournament. McCoy comes to Southeastern after four seasons in the junior college ranks at Kilgore College in northeast Texas. While serving as the lead assistant coach for the Rangers, the team won 76% of its games, 73.5% in conference competition, while rising as high as number two in the NJCAA rankings, which came during the 2021-22 season. During his tenure, Kilgore won two conference championships, earned two trips to the NJCAA National Tournament, including a run to the quarterfinals. He coached three All-Americans, two Conference Players of the Year, and 12 players who went on to play in Division I. Additionally, with McCoy serving as the team’s academic liaison, Kilgore’s men’s basketball team held a cumulative 3.0 GPA or greater all four years.   His coaching career started in 2014 as he earned his Bachelor’s in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he served as a student assistant. One of those years, the Mavericks went on to win the Sun Belt regular season title and advance to the third round of the NIT. From there, he moved on to Baylor where he served as a graduate assistant from 2017-2019 while earning his Master’s in sports management, then moved on to Kilgore.

Drew Riley begins his second season as an assistant coach on the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball staff for the start of the 2024-25 season. Riley's first season on the SLU staff saw the Lions finish with a 10-8 record in the Southland Conference, continuing a run of success that has seen Southeastern with a winning record in SLC play for three-straight seasons. His first season in Hammond was also the fourth-straight where the Lions saw postseason action, clinching a berth in the SLC Championship Tournament. A native of Jackson, Miss., Riley came to SLU after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Trinidad State College, a junior college in Colorado. With Riley on staff, the Trojans won back-to-back region championships, including a 17-1 mark in region play this past season where the team was first in both offense and defense in the region. One of his players was named Second Team All-American. Prior to that, he was on the staff at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Tasked with leading the defense for his one season there, the Bulldogs were among the best in points allowed, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, blocks per game, and fouls committed while holding opponents under 70 points 18 times throughout the year. His coaching career started at Hinds Community College in 2018. He received his Bachelor's in general studies from Arkansas State where he was a member of the Red Wolves basketball team from 2016-2018, including a 20-win team in 2016-17 which featured an upset of Georgetown and won the Maui on the Mainland Tournament. Riley has two children - a son, Kade, 7, and a daughter, Karson, 3.