Kalisha Keane (2022) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Kalisha Keane

Induction:
2022
Class:
2011

Kalisha Keane
Women's Basketball (2007-11)
Ajax, Ontario
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022

HIGHLIGHTS:

2010-11 WBCA and Associated Press All-American
2010-11 Big Ten Player of the Year
Four-time All-Big Ten
2009-10 Big Ten and MSU Sixth Player of the Year
2007-08 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Three-time Team MVP
2010-11 Team Captain
Represented Team Canada in six international tournaments, earning a bronze medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship and a silver medal in 2013 playing on Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2022

Tenacious competitor, fantastic teammate, fearless leader. Former Michigan State women's basketball player Kalisha Keane encompasses all those statements. She will now add the epithet of Michigan State Hall of Fame inductee.

The native of Ajax, Ontario, remains the only player in Spartan women's basketball history to end her career with at least 1,500 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 250 steals.

Despite all the accolades, Keane was more than a little surprised when the call came from Vice President/Director of Athletics Alan Haller informing her of the honor.

"To be honest, I was a little in shock. I was not expecting that call at all," the former Spartan forward recalled. "I thought it was like a spam call because I haven't really been receiving a lot of Michigan numbers, so I was really shocked. A lot of emotions ran through me, and I teared up a little bit too, but overall just really excited. I think it really took me off guard, but I was really grateful."

Being inducted into the Michigan State Hall of Fame is even more special this year as MSU celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of Title IX. The 2022 Hall of Fame class features five women.

"I think Title IX has been something that a lot of young women especially myself have been able to reap the benefits of and also to get the opportunity to play the sport that they love and compete," Keane said. "So, it's definitely something that is special to me. I'm really looking forward to seeing all those women that play different sports, that they've been able to kind of pave the way for us before, and it's really exciting."

Keane becomes the ninth Spartan women's basketball player or coach to join the Hall of Fame, along with Kathy DeBoer and Karen Langeland who will be inducted this year. They join Kristin Haynie, Liz Shimek, Carol Hutchins, Mary Kay Itnyre, Diane Spoelstra and Kisha Kelly in earning the rare honor.

"It's extremely special and extremely humbling for me. When I hear names like (Kristin) Haynie and Liz Shimek, those are the names that really paved the way for me when I went to Michigan State. Their culture and the foundation that they built definitely still were around when I was playing, so it's just great company to be around," Keane said. "I'm really thankful for the time that they put into the program to make it such a special place to be. The success that they had, obviously it's still ringing in the halls to this day, so it's super exciting. I hope that I made them a little proud. I don't even know if they were watching, but I have always looked up to them since I was a player."

During her breakout 2010-11 season, Keane became the first Spartan women's basketball player to capture Big Ten Player of the Year honors, as well as earning first-team all-conference honors. She ended the season sixth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. Keane completed her senior year with 531 points, which at the time was tied for fourth-most in the MSU single-season record books.

With a stellar 27-6 overall record and a 13-3 mark in league action, the Spartans earned their first out-right Big Ten championship that season.

An individual highlight of the 2010-11 season was Keane's dramatic game-winner against No. 16 Iowa in East Lansing. With the game tied 60-all, Brittney Thomas found Keane with 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock. The win was MSU's 14^th-straight of the season, as the Spartans started the season 16-1.

"When I think back on my time, there are obviously games that we've won that are exciting," Keane said. "There's our senior year when we were able to clinch the Big Ten regular season and hitting that shot against Iowa was exciting for an individual kind of moment. When I really think back, I just remember my teammates and the moments we had together. I think another really defining game was when we were able to beat Duke, the No. 1 seed in the (2009 NCAA) tournament, that was exciting. Everybody rushed the court and not even realizing that I'm crying when I'm crying. At the end of the day, I really do reflect on just those times that I had my teammates, those random fun moments that we were able to have together."

Keane capped off a stellar career at Michigan State earning Associated Press and WBCA honorable mention All-American honors.

"That was a really special year. I think everybody really bought into their roles, we bought into the staff and we bought into each other and a few special things really happened," Keane said. "Being Player of the Year wouldn't have been able to happen without my teammates. When I made the shot against Iowa, it was Cetera Washington who made the play call for me to get the shot. They really supported me. I just really can't even accept to be a Big Ten Player the Year without bringing up the name of Brittney Thomas, one of the best defenders, point guards that I've played with throughout my entire career."

Keane not only represented Michigan State, but she also played for Team Canada on several occasions. She represented Canada six times, including earning a bronze medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championships. She also captured a silver medal at the 2013 Senior Women's National Team in the FIBA Americas Tournament.

She has gone on to follow in the footsteps of current MSU head coach Suzy Merchant, including spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at MSU from 2017-19. After leaving Michigan State, Keane spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Long Island University in Brooklyn. She is currently in her first year as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton.

"Going back, I think being a GA was a great experience for me because it was at a very pivotal point in my life where I was trying to figure out what my next act was, and Suzy was very supportive," the current assistant coach Keane said. "But coming back, I think I really learned the value of putting in hard work without it being about you. When you're a player, everything is focused around you, but when you're a part of a support staff, you really have to be more selfless. You have to put in hours when nobody's really paying attention. You don't realize how much goes into making this machine go. You have to be where your feet are and don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Focus on the work that you're putting in and other things will follow."

It was not without help that Michigan State became a second home for Keane. She had leaders and mentors along the way, as well as family who helped her along the way.

"I definitely want to thank my family, my parents, my brother (Kaza) and sister (Takima) for all their support through it all. They were there when I first picked up the ball until now through all the ups and the downs," Keane added. "I want to thank all of my coaches from Canada who have put time into me, whether it be at the grassroots level or at the National Team level. There are so many people at MSU who helped me from Coach Merchant to our athletic trainer LouAnne Jefferson, Malinda Hudkins (Equipment Manager) and Julie Dombroski (Director of Basketball Operations). Angela Montie in SASS and Nancy Rademacher in the International Center both really helped me navigate my time here too. I also want to thank all my teammates and the assistant coaches as well."