Recruiting Report: Matt Keller (2016)
Update from 11/10/15 by Alex Conover Elk River went 12-14 last year, eventually losing to Totino-Grace in sections. Their top scorer, Matt Keller, is back and ready to build up his squad and improve on last year. Practice started yesterday…
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Continue ReadingUpdate from 11/10/15 by Alex Conover
Elk River went 12-14 last year, eventually losing to Totino-Grace in sections. Their top scorer, Matt Keller, is back and ready to build up his squad and improve on last year. Practice started yesterday for the Elks.
“Trent Pink will be a solid post, Zeke Delain is an all-around strong player, Jack Burger will be a good sophomore and Wyatt Morrell will be a good PG too,” Keller told NHR. “Our first game is the 20th against Buffalo.”
ER plays in the Northwest Suburban conference, meaning almost no games will be easy. They’ve got to face Maple Grove, Champlin Park, Centennial, Robbinsdale Armstrong, Osseo… the list goes on. There are other schools like Blaine and Totino-Grace that should take another step up in quality this winter. Every night will be a battle.
We asked Keller who the toughest matchup in the conference is, and he said “good question… I would say Tyler Peterson, McKinley Wright or Brad Davison.” These are all kids with Division I scholarships who will give Keller a huge challenge and will undoubtedly help him prepare for the next level.
“I'm down to four schools: UW-River Falls, St. John’s, Hamline and UW-Eau Claire,” Keller said of his college recruitment. “I'll probably decide in December sometime. It’s going to come down to where I feel the most comfortable, because they are all really nice schools.”
Update from 8/6/15 by Alex Conover
Matt Keller’s not looking to go too far away for college… preferably somewhere within two to three hours of Elk River.
That still leaves him plenty of options.
“I took a visit to St. John's, and I am taking one to Augsburg soon,” Keller said. “I will also take one to Hamline and intend to take one to UW-River Falls. I would say at this point, St. John's is recruiting me the hardest. I'm just looking for the right fit and where I feel comfortable. Mount Marty and Wayne State are recruiting me as well.”
Keller is spending the time between now and his winter season lifting and training along with a fall league at St. Michael. He thinks he might make a college choice during or after his senior season, but he’s not completely sure. As far as his grassroots experience with Comets Lewis:
“It was a lot of fun and I'll miss it, the whole experience this summer was awesome and it's all thanks to my teammates and coaches.”
Update from 5/13/15 by Alex Conover
With Clay Elrod off to Bemidji State, I was wondering who was going to step up for Elk River last winter. When they showed up at Anoka-Ramsey for December’s showcase, junior Matt Keller did a nice job and impressed the crowd; one fellow made the comment “I like that Matt Keller kid.”
Now, months later, Keller is drawing the same comments from the MIAC and NSIC as he plays spring and summer ball for the Comets Lewis club.
“The schools that have texted/called have been Minot State, Wayne State, Northern State, St. John’s (MN), St. Scholastica, and Concordia-Moorhead,” Keller said.
Keller was with the Comets last year, but some new pieces came on this spring, and the gang got acclimated to each other just in time to win the hometown Comets Shootout.
“It was awesome to get our first championship at our own tournament,” Keller said, “with my teammates and I getting more comfortable with each other. We're learning what roles we play in order to be successful, and I'm excited for what the rest of the season has to offer.”
As far as Keller’s outlook towards his individual place on the Comets, he is very fundamental. He tries mainly to be a facilitator to the skilled big men.
“With the Comets, my role as a guard is to feed our players when they’re in position to score. I also know that when that's not available, I have the ability to attack or shoot.”
Comets Lewis and Keller will play next at the Fury Shootout this weekend.