Montana Western, University of

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 eight NAIA All-Americans at Montana Western: Dom Robinson and Zacheus Darko-Kelly in 2018, Robinson and Shyke Smalls in 2017, Smalls and Dexter Williams, Jr. in 2016, Williams, Jr. and Stephen McCall in 2015, Jake Owsley in 2013, Kyle Erickson in 2012, and Brandon Brown in 2012 and 2011. Brown was also named MVP of the conference both years and was a two-time First-Team NAIA All-American.

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 ninth all-time in the Montana High School Association record books. Keller, who was known for his quickness and toughness, 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 38-year Montana coaching veteran – 33 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 have compiled a 203-114 record, while winning two Frontier Conference titles, as well as qualifying for the NAIA National Tournament seven times.

Keller is a four-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 12-0 record during that time.

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 head girls’ and boys’ basketball coach at Twin Bridges High School. 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 recently completed eleven years of service in the army as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot; Hayley, a kindergarten teacher in Montana City, and Nicole, a junior at MSU Billings. They are also the proud grandparents of twins Hayden and Tucker (10), Cassie (7), Kansas (5), and Neisa (2). 
 

Season	W-L Overall	W-L Conference	Frontier Finish	NAIA Ranking
UMW 2007-08*	10-19	3-11	Sixth	N/A
UMW 2008-09*	15-14	8-6	Fifth	N/A
UMW 2009-10***	25-10	10-4	Second	22
UMW 2010-11**	22-10	9-5	Third	RV
UMW 2011-12***	25-10	10-4	T-First	16
UMW 2012-13****	24-10	11-5	Second	6
UMW 2013-14*	16-12	9-7	Fourth	N/A
UMW 2014-15***	23-10	9-5	T-First	14
UMW 2015-16**	19-13	12-6	Third	25
UMW 2016-17***	25-8	14-4	Second	13
UMW 2017-18****	27-8	13-5	Second	T-11
Totals	231-124	108-62

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