Columbia College Director of Athletics Bob Burchard proudly announced the hiring of Jessica Keller as the second head coach in the history of the women’s basketball program since it was reinstated in 2001. Keller was selected from a strong pool of candidates to fill the position that was recently vacated.
"We are excited that Jessica Keller will lead our women’s basketball program," said Burchard. "Jessica has a consistent record of success both as a student-athlete and coach in high level programs. She has a clear commitment to recruiting success oriented student-athletes who will be great ambassadors for our institution. During the search process it became evident early that Jessica is a rising star in the profession. She is a person of high integrity, enthusiastic about teaching the game, and committed to character driven athletics. We are looking forward to Jessica leading our women’s basketball program into a new era."
"I am extremely honored and excited to be named head coach of the Lady Cougar basketball program," Keller commented. "I want to thank Columbia College and the athletic department for the opportunity to return home to Missouri and lead these young women. I look forward to building on the success of the program and producing teams that proudly represent Columbia College on the court, in the classroom, and within the community."
Keller spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota. She was an active participant in all facets of coaching at Minnesota State and specialized in the development of the post position. Over the past three seasons, Keller has been a part of 67 victories including being the Northern Sun Conference regular season runner-up the past two years.
In addition, Keller served as the team academic coordinator for the Mavericks and helped the squad to place in the Top-25 of team GPA in the NCAA Division II. Jessica also acts as the athletics liaison to the admissions office at Minnesota State.
"Columbia College has a very bright future under the leadership and guidance of Jessica Keller." Said head women’s basketball coach at Minnesota State University Emilee Thiesse. "Jessica is a young, enthusiastic coach who has a mind for the game and a competitiveness and passion that can be matched by very few. I have had an opportunity to see her grow over the past couple years and there is no doubt that she will have a very successful career at CC, but more than that she will have a lasting impact on the young women in her program. We couldn’t be more excited for Jessica and the Lady Cougar basketball family."
Prior to her time in Mankato, Keller was a two-year graduate assistant coach at Quincy University, where she completed her Master’s in Business Administration. The Belle, Missouri native also played women’s basketball at Quincy from 2005-2009. Keller was a three-time All-Great Lakes Valley performer and was named the GLVC Player of the Year in her senior season. She left Quincy as the school’s career record holder in point scored (1,823), steals (324), free throws made (487) and free throws attempted (652). She also collected numerous academic awards during her career as a double honors major in Accounting and Finance. At the completion of her Quincy career, Keller earned the GLVC’s Richard F. Sharf Paragon Award which is an award that combines academics, athletics, leadership and character.
"During the search process, we spoke to many different people connected to women’s basketball who knew Jessica well, on and off the court," said Associate Director of Athletics Cindy Potter. "Her passion, energy and knowledge stood out as well as her commitment to student-athletes. She is prepared and excited for this opportunity and will be the perfect fit for all aspects of Lady Cougar Basketball at Columbia College."
A Belle High School Valedictorian, Keller was a three-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State Selection and at the time of graduation ranked in the Top-10 state wide for most career points at 2,375. During her senior season she set a state high school record for single season scoring average with 37.5 points per game and holds another state record of most free throws made in a game with 33.
She will begin her duties as Columbia College’s head women’s basketball coach immediately.
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