The Keene State Men’s Basketball team has expanded its roster with the addition of five transfers under the new head coach.
The basketball team at Keene State College has been one of the most successful athletic teams in the area, and also within the Little East Conference. They are coming off of a second trip to the Sweet Sixteen during last season’s championship tournament. Since that loss in last year’s tournament, the Owls graduated four seniors, opening the void for new transfers.
The new transfers are juniors Ryan Blakey and Leo Chaikan, Kai Kostmeyer, Mitch Shettles and sophomore Joshua Williams.
Along with a handful of new transfers for the KSC Men’s Basketball team, this season will see a new face at the helm for the Owls. Head Coach Steven Enright comes into the nest having coached for Bridgewater State as well as having the roles of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for a division one program at Virginia Military Institute. Coming into the new program Enright said he was passionate about adding to the already talented roster.
“We have a really strong group of seniors, but still we need some numbers and certainly wanted to get a group of good players to make us more competitive and give us more depth,” Enright said.” “We set out to try and get a handful of transfers with either two or three years left of their eligibility and were able to do that.”
Enright’s success in his previous coaching positions will seemingly fit perfectly into the established winning mentality built within the KSC basketball program. His success caught the eye of sophomore Williams, whose relationship with Enright made the transfer even more inviting.
“Knowing Coach Enright for a long time I knew he was a great coach and just talking with him I know that I can always be myself,” Williams said. “ That relationship that I’ve built over the years made this an easy decision.”
Over the past 10 years, KSC Men’s Basketball has won the Little East Conference championship five times and has had their opportunities in the NCAA championship tournament. According to junior guard Mitch Shettles, the evident competitive drive within the basketball program at Keene State is what drew him to join the team. Coming from the United States Coast Guard Academy, Shettles was aware of the commitment and focus required to achieve the expected success here at Keene State.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting in the gym with these guys and being a part of a team that is always striving for a national championship, and nothing less than that,” Shettles said. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. I want to compete at a high level and make a run for that national title.”
Coming to a new school as a transfer can be tough at first regardless of the reason. Adjusting to classes for any student is difficult, and for student athletes, adjusting to a brand new team can take time. So far, Blakey said he has found the switch to Keene State life quite calm and easy, creating a good atmosphere for him before the season embarks.
“At first it was kind of tough getting my classes all together, but now I got everybody cheering me on to keep going and keep pushing and now it’s pretty easy,” Blakey said. “First, I am looking forward to getting a national championship, but I can’t wait to get closer as a team. We are about to go team bowling and I think that’s great for us.”
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jesnscoe@kscequinox.com
