Rachel Clay-Keohane - Head Coach
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Office Phone: 276-328-0205 |
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Rachel Clay-Keohane just completed what could be said as the most successfull season in UVa-Wise women’s basketball history.
A year ago, the eighth-year head coach of the Lady Cavaliers led by a talented group to the program's first NAIA National Championships appearance and Appalachian Athletic Conference title. The Lady Cavs produced its first 20-win season since in 12 years at 24-10 and the second most wins in program history.
The 2006-07 season gives great optimism for another run for a spot at the NAIA championships and AAC title. The team will have a veteran lineup with five seniors dotting the roster.
Clay-Keohane's team improved by 13 wins last year after posting an 11-18 mark in 2004-05. The core group of seniors have a mark of 50-43 the past three years under Clay-Keohane.
The foundation for last seaon's AAC title run started in the AAC playoffs the previous year where the Lady Cavsn played into the semifinal round where they nearly pulled off an upset in overtime.
Ten players return from the 2005-06 roster, including NAIA All-American and AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Sarah Helton. All she did last year was lead the team for the third year at 16.3 ppg and grab 8.5 rebounds per contest. In three years, the senior has compiled 1579 points and 768 boards
Helton again will be joined by four super seniors in guards Chelsea Lee, LaShay Collier and her twin sister, Rachel Helton along with forward Terri Ann Hill.
Clay-Keohane has been an intregal part of the UVa-Wise women’s basketball program for over a decade.
She came to the UVa-Wise program with little previous playing experience but made her mark on the program shortly after joining the team.
Clay-Keohane played a couple years at Abingdon High School before becoming a three-year standout for UVa-Wise.
In her three seasons, Clay-Keohane earned All-Tennessee Valley Athleticn Conference honors as well as being named both an All-American Honorable Mention (1992-93) and Academic All-American (1991-92).
She helped the Lady Cavs to the most successful three-year run with a 67-26 record, three-straight 20-win seasons and the most season wins in school history of 25-8 for the 1991-92 season. Individually, Clay-Keohane totaled 1,089 points and 1,108 rebounds for her career . She set a school record with 433 rebounds in the 1991-92 season.
She graduated from UVa-Wise in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in physics and secondary education.
Before Clay-Keohane returned to direct the Lady Cavs, she gained some valuable coaching and teaching experience at a private school in Utah.
Along with coaching the Lady Cavs, the coach is also a professor in the college’s mathematics department.
She lives with her husband, Michael Keohane, and three-year old daughter, Elisabeth, in Abingdon, Va.
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