Back In The Game

Keenan Coley threw all of his basketball gear into the closet and slammed the door shut. He couldn't stand the sight of it. The 19-year-old had just returned from California, where his college basketball career at Warren Wilson College ended on a court in Santa Cruz. His final play was fitting: a contested shot and another injury. The injury served as yet another reminder that his desire to continue in the sport he’d loved since he was five far exceeded what his body could endure.

"I was like, it'll be forever if you're waiting for me to coach," Coley told his mother, who suggested he might find his way back to basketball someday. "It's never going to happen."

In the immediate aftermath of his sudden retirement, Coley couldn’t even bring himself to go to restaurants where March Madness games were being shown on televisions. The sport that largely defined him for most of his life was something he couldn’t stand the sight of. 

His inability to simply ignore basketball revealed something Coley didn't recognize at the time. The opposite of love isn't hate, but indifference. His anger toward the sport burned precisely because his passion for it remained alive.

Today, at just 22, Coley stands as the head basketball coach at his alma mater, Oxford Preparatory School in North Carolina. He’s almost certainly the youngest high school varsity head coach in the state, and quite possibly the country. His path to the sidelines seems quick and even somewhat obvious, but the road back to basketball was anything but straightforward.

Standout to sudden stop

Coley’s hometown of Oxford, N.C., sits about 40 minutes north of Durham. The community faces similar challenges as other small, rural communities in poverty, instability and limited opportunities.

Coley and his family came to the community when he was sixth grade after his father, Alvin, was named as the town’s chief of police. His mother, Stacey Carter-Coley, worked as an attorney as law and order literally ruling the household.

As Keenan moved on to Oxford Prep, he thrived in the small-school environment. His graduating class had just 34 students. He served as an after-school counselor at the school for grades K-6. He played four years of varsity basketball as the team's point guard and became the first athlete in the program's history to sign with a four-year university for basketball. The point guard position suited him. Leadership came naturally, even as a teenager navigating a challenging community.

"I come from a competitive family," Coley says. "My mom played Division I tennis. My sister played Division I tennis. We joke about my dad for being the worst athlete in the family."

The competitive spirit ran straight into the classroom as well. By his senior year at Oxford Prep, Coley had accumulated over 40 college credits through dual enrollment. He graduated at 17, ready for the next level.

Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, N.C., just outside of the mountains of nearby Asheville,  offered Coley the opportunity to play Division III basketball. The small liberal arts school embraced diversity and creativity.

While he had dreams of playing for four years, his body had other plans. A knee surgery during his junior year of high school had already compromised his recruitment. COVID-19 wiped out half his senior season, further limiting his exposure to college scouts. At Warren Wilson, Achilles problems joined the knee issues. Then came the seizures.

The summer after his freshman year, while working at Dick's Sporting Goods, Coley experienced multiple seizures. Doctors diagnosed him with epilepsy. Heading into his sophomore season, the writing was mostly on the wall: the season would be his last. With his 40+ credits he brought with him from high school, he put himself on a path to graduate in just two years.

Coley played his final game in the Golden State Warriors' D-League arena in Santa Cruz. Warren Wilson had made the conference tournament, traveling across the country for the Coast To Coast Conference tournament. On his last play, Coley went up for a contested shot and came down hurt again.

"I was like, I saw my whole career just sort of flash in front of my eyes," he remembers. "Like it was just like I even in my last game, I still can't make it out of this game, like fully healthy.

“I was just angry at the sport,” he admits. “And it's not wrong to say that I was mad at the sport because I was.”

The right opportunities at the right time

At 19, with a psychology degree and no clear direction, Coley had begun looking toward graduate school. His mother suggested law school, following in her footsteps, but recognized her son needed time to figure things out. That's when Coley turned to Google, searching for “top graduate programs in sport management.” West Virginia University appeared in his results. Maybe it was the school’s reputation or the mountainous imagery that caught his attention (he'd grown to love the mountains during his time near Asheville). The online program offered flexibility, which appealed to someone still figuring out his next steps. But more than that, something about WVU felt right.

"West Virginia University screamed flexibility to me throughout the for the online program," Coley explains. "Even though it was a big school, something about it gave me that family feel that I’m used to.”

In late June 2023, Coley was settling into life in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with his high school sweetheart, Emily. He'd enrolled at WVU and was supporting himself through part-time work, including training younger basketball players. Then his phone rang. Leo Brunelli, his former high school coach, was calling with an opportunity. Brunelli had taken a new position at Seaforth High School in Pittsboro and wanted Coley to join his staff as head JV coach and varsity assistant.

The invitation forced a decision Coley thought he'd already made. Basketball was behind him. Coaching was off the table. But Brunelli wasn't just any coach – he'd won a state championship and developed a reputation as one of North Carolina's best high school coaches.

“I at first was a little hesitant and thought if there was anybody that I would trust and be able to do it with, it was him,” Coley says.

At just 20, Coley was just a few years older than the young men he would be coaching and some could’ve been his teammates. The reset at the high school level was the right opportunity at the right time.

“I think it was the perfect opportunity to be around kids who really wanted it,” he reflects. “It gave me a chance to feel that community side of basketball again, and that’s what I had missed the most.”

Coley’s anger towards the game melted away with the return of his burning passion and competitive spirit that were never gone, only momentarily buried. The season brought success on multiple fronts. Coley's JV team went 17-6, while he also stepped up his role with the varsity squad when Coach Brunelli dealt with health issues that required hospitalization.

Finding (virtual) community

After a successful season at Seaforth, Coley received another unexpected call. His former college coach, Dominique Boone, had moved to the University of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania and wanted him on staff. The position was unique: director of scouting, working entirely remotely.

“He asked me to be his eyes from above,” Coley recalls. “I want you to help me with all game planning.”

The remote coaching experience taught Coley about game preparation at the college level. He built scouting reports, participated in coaches' meetings via Zoom, and watched a few of his old teammates compete under his strategic guidance. The team finished with one of the best records in the school’s history of competing at the NCAA level.

Meanwhile, his online education at WVU was providing the flexibility he needed while maintaining the sense of community he valued. The program connected him with student-athletes from various sports, creating authentic relationships despite the virtual format. When professors learned about his epilepsy, they showed understanding and flexibility. That community support made his decision easy when graduation approached in May 2025.

“I really felt like I belonged, and I wanted to be on campus for commencement,” he says before adding with a laugh that his mom would’ve likely made him go either way.

The trip to Morgantown felt like validation of his unconventional educational journey. Meeting professors face-to-face and walking across the stage confirmed the notion that genuine connection could transcend physical distance.

Despite the success in the virtual world both academically and as a scout, Coley knew he wanted to get back on the sidelines. He wanted to be on the bench with the squad. He wanted to be at the team dinners.

Back on the sidelines

He began applying for head coaching positions, understanding that his age would require "outside of the box thinking" from any athletic department willing to hire a 22-year-old.

Then the head coaching position at Oxford Prep, his alma mater, opened up. It seemed almost too good to be true. The Oxford Prep athletic director had previously hired Coach Brunelli at his state championship school. Several administrators still remembered Coley from his student days. Even some of his current players were children he'd supervised as an after-school counselor during his senior year.

In May, Coley accepted the position.

The gymnasium looks the same as it did when Coley played there five years ago. The community faces the same challenges it always has. But everything feels different now.

“I feel like it is my duty to help change that narrative and help the school have something to be proud of. We have no football team. Basketball is the sport at Oxford Prep,” he explains

His father volunteers as an assistant coach. His mother remains his biggest cheerleader and advocate. His girlfriend supports him from their home, managing their life together so he can focus on coaching.

The summer workouts have gone well. Attendance is strong. The players are buying into a culture that emphasizes work ethic above all else.

“Our tagline has become 'nobody outworks us,’” Coley says. “That blue-collar mentality that's ingrained in the Oxford and Granville County community here in North Carolina. Hopefully we can give the community something to be proud of.

“All of this feels very storybook-ish and something people wouldn’t believe if you wrote it,” he says. “It really is that cool for me.”

And while the story feels complete in some ways, Coley knows he’s just getting started.