University of Providence Athletics

Steve Keller became the head coach of the University of Providence men's basketball program in March 2018, after eleven years coaching for conference rival University of Montana Western.

During Keller's inaugural season as the Argos head coach, he led the program to an 18-12 overall record and a 9-9 conference finish, ending the season fourth in the Frontier. In his second season, he led the Argos to a 24-8 record and a birth in the NAIA National Championships in Kansas City, Mo. Unfortunately the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also led the Argos to the highest ranking in program history at 8th. 

This past season, Keller led the Argos to their first outright conference championship since 1983, as well as winning the program's first ever Frontier Conference Tournament. They qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, where they made it to the Round of 32. The team finished the season ranked #10. For his efforts, Keller was named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year. 
 
Under Keller, the UMW Bulldogs averaged twenty wins per season and have been to the NAIA national tournament eight of his final nine seasons at the school. During that time, the Bulldogs advanced to the second round five times and the quarterfinals twice. 

Keller has coached ten NAIA All-Americans. Eight at UMW, and two at UP (see chart below).  

Keller is a 1974 graduate of Custer (Mont.) High School, 1978 graduate of Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in history. He received his master’s degree from Northern Montana College.

Keller averaged 21.5 points per game during his four-year career at Custer, scoring 2,206 career points, ranking him tenth all-time in the Montana High School Association record books. Keller also holds career marks for free throws made and attempted in the MHSA record books. 

Keller played baseball for the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears from 1975-78, under longtime Rocky professor and coach, C.R. Stiffler.

Keller is a 42-year Montana coaching veteran – 37 as a head coach. He began his career at Opheim High School, where he led the Vikings to three-straight Class C girls' basketball state championships (1982-84).

In 1985, Keller took over the Helena High School girls' basketball program, and led the Bengals to three Class AA state titles in 1990, 1991 and 1997. As the boys' assistant basketball coach, the Bengals claimed the 1991 state championship.

Keller racked up an impressive 610-180 record as a Montana high school head coach.

In 2004, Keller moved on to the college ranks, serving as Gary Turcott's men's basketball assistant coach at Carroll College until 2007. He was then named the head men's basketball coach at Montana Western in 2007. Under Keller, the Bulldogs compiled a 231-124 record, while winning three Frontier Conference titles, as well as qualifying for the NAIA National Tournament eight times.

Keller is a five-time Frontier Conference Coach of Year. He was inducted into the Montana Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

He took over coaching the Montana team in the Midland Roundtable Montana-Wyoming all-star basketball series in 2012 and has a perfect 18-0 record.

Steve and his wife, Mary Kay, have two sons. Wes is the head women’s basketball coach at Rocky Mountain College, and Josh is the assistant women's coach at Montana Western. Both Wes and Josh earned their degrees from Montana Western and played basketball for the Bulldogs under Coach Mark Durham. Steve and Mary Kay also have three daughters: Shandi, who is a Blackhawk helicopter pilot; Hayley, a kindergarten teacher in Montana City, and Nicole, is attending school and working towards her nursing degree. They are also the proud grandparents of twins Hayden and Tucker (14), Cassie (11), Kansas (8), and Neisa (6).
 

Season	W-L Overall	W-L Conference	Frontier Finish	NAIA Ranking	NAIA  All Americans
UMW 2007-08*	10-19	3-11	6th	N/A
UMW 2008-09*	15-14	8-6	5th	N/A
UMW 2009-10***	25-10	10-4	2nd	22
UMW 2010-11**	22-10	9-5	3rd	RV	Brandon Brown (1st Team, Conf. MVP)
UMW 2011-12***	25-10	10-4	1st	16	Kyle Erickson, Brandon Brown (1st Team, Conf. MVP)
UMW 2012-13****	24-10	11-5	2nd	6	Jake Owsley
UMW 2013-14*	16-12	9-7	4th	N/A
UMW 2014-15***	23-10	9-5	1st	14	Stephen McCall Dexter Williams Jr.
UMW 2015-16**	19-13	12-6	3rd	25	Dexter Williams Jr. Shyke Smalls
UMW 2016-17***	25-8	14-4	2nd	13	Shyke Smalls Dom Robinson
UMW 2017-18****	27-8	13-5	3rd	T-11	Dom Robinson Zaccheus Darko-Kelly
UP 2018-19*	18-12	9-9	4th	N/A	Jalen Shepard, Brandon Cotton
UP 2019-20**	24-8	11-8	3rd	16	Zaccheus Darko-Kelly, Jaxen Hashley
UP 2020-21***	17-3	15-2	1st	10	Zaccheus Darko-Kelly, Marcus Stephens
Totals	290-147	143-81	-	-	11

* Reached Frontier Conference Playoffs
** Reached NAIA Tournament
*** Reached NAIA Tournament Second Round
**** Reached NAIA Tournament Quarterfinals