Great Bend native Matt Keeley's Kansas homecoming has been a sweet one. Now the head basketball coach at the University of Ottawa Arizona (OUAZ), his Spirit have punched their ticket to the Round of 16 in the NAIA National Tournament. OUAZ needed a buzzer-beater in Tuesday's round-one game in Park City, then took down top-seed and seventh-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan in round two Wednesday. The Round of 16 moves to Kansas City.
"What an amazing week in Wichita," Keeley said. "The madness of our first-round buzzer beater followed by the toughness of our second-round victory. Survive and advance is alive and well."
Wednesday's win was a little less dramatic than Tuesday's game as the Spirit defeated Wesleyan 83-72 to move to 23-9 overall. OUAZ moves to 9-1 on neutral courts this season, and advances to its first-ever Round of 16 game.
“The NAIA tourney in KC at Municipal Auditorium is one of the most historic basketball events in the country," said Keeley. "I'm so excited to get to take this locker room of guys to experience it. It's something they will never forget. And they have earned it."
OUAZ is located in Surprise, Ariz., some 800 miles from Keeley's hometown of Great Bend. He is the first and only coach in school history, and the Spirit are 47-18 over the past two seasons. The school went from using high school basketball gyms in Keeley's first year, to building its own 14-basket facility near the spring training facility of the Kansas City Royals. Keeley has twice earned NCCAA West Region Coach of the Year honors.
OUAZ played Kansas' Baker University in round one of the NAIA National Tournament in Park City's Hartman Arena. Trailing by four points in the final 26 seconds of regulation, Josiah De'laCerda scored the final two baskets to force overtime. Again trailing 78-77 with just two ticks remaining in the extra period, the Spirit traversed the length of the court before De'laCerda delivered a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Keeley was able to celebrate with friends and family.
“It was so great to be able to play so close to home," he said. "Having so many friends and family in the stands was amazing."
The Spirit enter the Round of 16 as the No. 7 seed against No. 11 seed Southeastern University (Fla.) on Monday.