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Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University junior forward/center
Justin Keenan (Grand Rapids/Ottawa Hills) received
his most prestigious recognition to date by being named today
(March 22) to the 2009-10 State Farm® Coaches' All-America
Team.
With his selection to the 16-member State Farm® Coaches'
All-America Team chosen by National Association of Basketball
Coaches (NABC) members from across the country, Keenan becomes the
first-ever All-America pick at the Division II level in Ferris
State men's basketball history.
Additionally, Keenan is also the first Bulldog player in 36 years
to claim All-America accolades and joins four previous players to
achieve the distinction in Ferris men's hoops history. The
Bulldogs' previous All-America performers all played at the NAIA
level and included Bernie Kilpatrick (1963-64), Jesse Mangham
(1968-69), Dennis Johnson (1973) and Lewis Garner (1974).
"This is a great honor for Justin and he's earned it," said FSU
head coach Bill Sall. "He's one of the
hardest-working players I've ever been around and continues to get
better and better. We're thrilled he's achieved this
recognition."
Keenan was among 16 players from across the nation tabbed to the
All-America Team, which consisted of a single list. He was
the only player from a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (GLIAC) school named to the team and one of only two
honorees from the entire Midwest Region along with senior guard
Jamar Smith of Southern Indiana.
The NABC Division II All-America Team recognizes the best
men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes and coaches in
the division. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC,
the included student-athletes represent the finest basketball
players across America.
Previously, Keenan received both NABC All-District and Daktronics
All-Midwest Region First Team honors. He was also chosen by the
Grand Rapids Press as its West Michigan Small College
Player of the Year for the 2009-10 campaign.
Keenan was also honored this year as the winner of the prestigious
GLIAC Player of the Year Award for the 2009-10 season, becoming the
first Bulldog men's basketball player in 20 years to attain the
recognition. He was only the fifth player in school history to be
tabbed as the league's top seasonal performer and the first since
David Tuck in 1990.
A consensus preaseason All-America honoree and two-time first team
All-GLIAC recipient, Keenan averaged a league-leading 21.1 points
per game in 22 conference regular-season contests this season and
held a 20.1 points per game average for all games this
campaign. Additionally, his 465 points in league games
finished only six shy of matching the league's single-season
scoring record of 471 points set by Saginaw Valley State's Michael
Williams in the 1993-94 season.
The 6-6 Keenan also broke two GLIAC single-season records with his
176 made free throws and 253 total attempts in league
regular-season play this season while becoming the school's
all-time leader in career made free throws (562) along with topping
his own single-season record with 215 makes in all games at the
charity stripe. He shattered the previous league records of
132 free throws made and 196 attempts that had been set by former
Bulldog center Adam Anderson in the 2000-01 season.
Keenan guided the Bulldogs to a second consecutive conference
tournament berth and a trip to the semifinals after leading the
league with 14 scoring games of 20 points or more overall this
year. He claimed GLIAC North Division Player of the Week accolades
four-straight weeks during the season and reached double-figure
scoring in 28 of 29 contests this campaign.
In addition to leading the league in scoring, Keenan also concluded
the season ranked first in offensive rebounds (3.2 pg.) along with
third in field goal percentage (55.1%) and fifth in total
rebounding (6.9 rpg.). To date, Keenan has 1,569 career points and
ranks eighth on the school's career scoring chart.
His 215 free throws (215-312) this year topped his own school
single-season mark of 180 free throws recorded last season. He shot
154 free throws more than any other GLIAC player this season for
all games and made 90 more than any other league player. This year
marks the third-straight year he’s led the league in both
makes and attempts.
Overall, Keenan has reached double-figure scoring in 79 of 84
career outings. He’s tallied 10 points or more in 56 of his
last 58 contests, which included a personal career-high 35 points
in a league home win over defending NCAA Division II National
Champion Findlay in early February (Feb. 6) as the Bulldogs beat
the Oilers for only the second time in the last 45 years.
Keenan led the Bulldog men's basketball team to a 16-13 overall
record this season and this season represented the eighth
consecutive year in which the Bulldogs had won 10 or more games
under current eighth-year head coach Bill Sall
after doing so only twice in the seven seasons prior to his
arrival.
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest
“Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the
University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the
inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective
group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims
nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college
men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are
expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game
by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of
basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic
lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of
being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and
education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and
membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.