May 20—BEMIDJI — Britt Lauritsen, Bemidji State’s director of athletics, has announced the hiring of Madison McKeever as the 11th head coach of the women’s basketball program.
McKeever recently finished her fourth season at Thomas, where she spent the last three seasons as the first assistant and one as director of operations in 2022-23. Prior to UST, McKeever spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Concordia-St. Paul from 2020-22.
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“We are excited to welcome Madison to Bemidji State as the next leader of our women’s basketball program,” said Lauritsen in a release. “Madison is a tenacious competitor with great ties to the state of Minnesota and the region. She comes highly regarded as a rising star in the coaching sphere and we cannot wait for her to bring her energy and passion to the sidelines this coming basketball season.”
“I am incredibly honored to be named the next head coach at Bemidji State University,” said McKeever in the same release. “I want to thank Britt Lauritsen and the entire search committee for their trust and belief in me to lead this program. Our identity will be built on toughness, unselfishness and relentless effort, while staying committed to developing high-character young women who will make an impact in their community. I am excited to begin working with this special group of student-athletes and together build something that the university, alumni and community can be proud of for years to come.”
In her time at UST, the Tommies went 61-62 overall and 31-25 in Summit League play at the NCAA Division I level. Her four years included the best finish of the Tommies’ Division I era, with a fourth-place finish in the conference. She helped guide the Tommies to six appearances in the Summit League Tournament, advancing to the second round during her first and fourth seasons. McKeever also helped coach eight student-athletes to All-Summit League honors.
The Erskine native spent the 2021-22 season as Concordia-St. Paul’s top assistant after joining the Golden Bears in 2020-21. CSP averaged 15 wins per season, including a COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season, while the team finished her two-season stint with a .682 winning percentage. McKeever coached five student-athletes to All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors.
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McKeever attended the University of South Dakota, where she helped the Coyotes women’s basketball program to an overall record of 110-24 in her four years. She helped the Coyotes become the first team in Summit League history to go undefeated en route to a conference regular season and tournament championship.
As a freshman, McKeever was named the Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year. Other awards earned in her time at South Dakota include being named All-Summit League Honorable Mention three times and earning Preseason All-Summit League Team honors three times. In her senior season, she averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She also joined South Dakota’s 1,000-point club, finishing her career with 1,094 points.
In her time as a player at Win-E-Mac High School, McKeever finished her career as the state’s 11th all-time scorer with 3,298 points. She is also ranked third all-time in steals with 823 and set a state tournament record with 25 free-throw attempts in a game and tied the record for free throws made with 20 in a single game, both of which she still holds to this day.
McKeever holds a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a bachelor’s degree in general studies and elementary education, both from USD. In her free time, McKeever enjoys spending time making memories with family and friends, traveling, being outdoors and spending time with her dog, Koda.
