DAVID KIEFER
Head Men's Basketball Coach
David Kiefer, in his third year with Southeastern, was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Lions to 19 wins, a double-bye in the Southland Tournament and a berth in the conference tournament title game.
Kiefer joined former Lion head coach Billy Kennedy (2004) as the only two men's basketball coaches in SLU history to earn the Southland Coach of the Year award.
The Lions also received a bid to The Basketball Classic postseason tournament which was the third time in school history that the program had reached a national tournament (2005 - NCAA, 2018 - NIT).
The 2021-22 season also saw three players get selected to the All-Southland team, including Gus Okafor (1st team), Jalyn Hinton (2nd team) and Keon Clergeot (2nd team). Hinton was named Southland Defensive Player of the Year as well after leading the league in blocked shots with 81.
SLU also broke several school records during year-three of the Kiefer era. The Lions scored 2,679 points, made 302 three-pointers, shot 76.9 percent as a team from the free throw line and made an all-time program high 19 three-pointers in a win over Southeastern Baptist.
In his second season with the Lions, Kiefer guided SLU to the Southland Conference Tournament including a win over McNeese in the first round. During the campaign, SLU played one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the Southland playing nine straight games on the road to start the season. The road trip included games in six different states with contests at LSU, Texas A&M, Louisiana Tech, California Baptist, UAB, Grambling, Stephen F. Austin and Lamar.
The Lions defeated California Baptist in remarkable fashion erasing a 13-point deficit in the game's final nine minutes for an 81-80 win.
Under Kiefer, guard Keon Clergeot was fourth in the nation in free throws made (155) and free throws attempted (192). Clergeot was also second in the Southland in scoring during league games averaging 17.9 points.
In his rookie campaign as Lions' skipper, Kiefer put a competitive squad together that battled their way through a 20-game Southland schedule with six freshmen, three juniors, two sophomores and just one senior. SLU lost six conference games by six points or less including two in overtime.
Kiefer was named the 13th head coach in program history July 2, 2019 following SLU's 12-6 finish in the Southland Conference and 17-16 overall record in the 2018-19 season. The Lions advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament for the 15th time before falling in the semi-finals to Abilene Christian, 69-66.
Kiefer helped guide the Lions to the Southland Conference regular season title in 2017-18 finishing 22-12 and 15-3 in the conference.
It was the program's first conference title since the 2004-2005 season. SLU advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament Championship before falling to Stephen F. Austin, 59-55. The 22 wins was second most in program history (24 in 2004-05).
Kiefer helped Southeastern to a .500 record in 2016-17 as the Lions finished 16-16 before losing to Lamar in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament.
Southeastern advanced to the tournament for the fifth straight year after finishing seventh in the league with a 9-9 record. The Lions had a 4 1/2-game improvement from 2015-16 despite having three potential starters miss the season with injuries.
Kiefer has worked with the Southeastern guards and coordinating the Lions' recruiting efforts. In 2016-17, he helped guard Marlain Veal blossom into one of the top players in the Southland Conference. Veal, the former Lion, concluded his career as the second leading scorer in program history, and all-time leader in assists and steal.
Prior to coming to Southeastern, Kiefer spent a year on the staff at South Carolina, serving as the team’s director of video services. At South Carolina he handled all aspects of the Gamecocks’ video services, serving also as coordinator for Frank Martin’s Summer Camps.
Kiefer previously served as an assistant coach at Northwest Florida State College where he handled team travel, recruiting and individual player development, along with opponent scouting and film exchange. The 2013-14 campaign saw all eight of its sophomores graduate, with each signing to play Division I basketball.
Prior to his time with the Raiders, Kiefer served as an assistant coach at Jones County Junior College (2012-13), as an assistant at Arlington Country Day High School (2011-12), as a volunteer video assistant at Central Florida (2010-11), as the head junior varsity and assistant varsity coach at St. Mary’s Ryken of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), and as a student manager at Kansas State (2006-08) and in the same capacity at Cincinnati (2005-06).
While at Kansas State as a student manager Kiefer had the privilege to witness the development of Michael Beasley, who was selected second overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, Cartier Martin and Bill Walker.
While at Cincinnati, Kiefer also saw the development of James White (three NBA seasons with Spurs, Knicks and Rockets), who played for the Bearkats.
The Lions' head coach was on staff with South Carolina when current NBA player Sindarius Thornwell was with the Gamecocks.
Kiefer assisted with recruiting classes during his tenures at Northwest Florida and Jones County which provided the foundation for national championships at both institutions.
Kiefer also assisted with two powerhouse AAU programs, the Florida Rams and the D.C. Assault.
Kiefer graduated from Kansas State with a degree in social sciences in 2007, and he received his master’s degree from Salem International in 2013.
