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Keyes unlocks door to program's history books with win No. 100
When Zack Keyes took over as the head girls basketball coach at Northview seven years ago, all he wanted to do was follow in the footsteps of his predecessors.
“I was just trying to fall into the footsteps of the people before me. I sat under some really, really good coaches, coaches I consider some of the best in the state in Mitch Lancaster and Scott Buell. I just wanted to follow their lead,” said Keyes.
What he ultimately did was blaze his own path. And on Monday night, with a 51-36 sectional win over Brown County, Keyes earned his 100th career win, making him what many believe to be the first to accomplish the feat in program history.
Keyes credited all of the players and coaches that helped turn Northview into a perennial Western Indiana Conference and sectional contender, stating it was with their hard work and dedication that helped him land on win No. 100 Monday.
“We’ve had a lot of great athletes and a lot of great coaches. My assistant coaches have been excellent over the years and my players have been great through the years,” said Keyes. “I think 100 wins says more about our program than it does about one person. I’ve been very, very fortunate.”
The Brazil Times recently spoke with current and former Lady Knights from the last six senior classes Keyes coached, as well as his current lead assistant coach, and asked them to reflect on their time with the seven-year head coach.
Their responses are below:
Jordan Allen (Assistant coach 2018-present)
“He was actually my coach when I played. He and I met at West Vigo about five years ago. He didn’t realize I was teaching and coaching at Monrovia, and he was like, ‘Hey, do you want to come back to the area?’ We kind of kept in contact and then I eventually came back, and ever since then, I’ve loved it. It’s been a blast. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the game. He knows the ins and outs. Not only was he a good player, but he’s an amazing coach. He has a great relationship with the girls. He knows how to teach, he knows how to coach, he knows when to push, he knows when to ease up. It’s a rare commodity to have all of that stuff in one person. You can tell whenever the girls play that they trust what he says. He allows them to have input. So, to have all of the tools of the trade that he has is rare. He’s been a blast to coach with. He’s just a great guy and a great coach.”
Macey Timberman (Class of 2022)
“He’s always been a good coach for us. He always knows when to push us to be better people on and off the court. He’s, honestly, just like another dad to all of us. He doesn’t have any kids, so he just takes us all in as his kids. That’s why we wanted to get him to 100 wins so bad. Our senior class, we’ve always been so close with him, so it’s cool that we got to that with him and now he’ll always remember us for that.”
Katy Anderson (Class of 2021)
“Honestly, he is one of my favorite coaches I have ever played for. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have played high school basketball. He really encouraged me to start playing again and it was one of the best decisions ever because he was such a great coach. He really cares about his players so much and always pushes you to be the best, and I really loved that about him.”
Haley Richey (Class of 2020)
“To be honest, if I had to do it all again 100 times, I would. Coach Keyes is hands down one of the best coaches in Indiana. Coming into a new school corporation my freshman year and not knowing anything about the school’s program or coach, I was beyond nervous and intimidated. Coach Keyes was the firs and only coach to this day that have ever helped me grow as a player and as a human being. With his coaching, I learned how to push through, have my head on a swivel, be a hard worker, focus and hustle. Coach Keyes has the natural ability to put a positive impact on every player he has coached and will continue to coach. I miss playing for coach Keyes all the time, but it’s always good to go back and see he’s still the same coach with the same goals.”
Jenny Lundy (Class of 2019)
“He’s very good at pushing people to become better on and off the court. When I played, he was always yelling at my sister and I because he expected more out of us. If we did one thing wrong, we never hear the end of it, but it made us much better players. I still remember this so clearly three years later, but during a sectional game my senior year, I missed one rebound and he yelled at me for literally over two minutes straight while the game was still going on. You could even hear it on film the next day. He became head coach my freshman year and I wouldn’t have changed it because there are just so many good memories while playing for him.”
Olivia Lundy (Class of 2018)
“He was a great coach. He went out of his way to help his players succeed.”
Stacy Payton (Class of 2017)
“I am grateful for the opportunity I had to play for coach Keyes. He is not just a great coach, but a great person. He instilled values in me as a person and player that I will always carry. He has invested a ton of time and energy into this program, and it shows with the successes the team has had. Playing for him, he was always pushing me to be better, and was always helping me to improve. Looking forward to watching more wins in the future.”