Keith Kenney is a name synonymous with excellence in Hudson Valley basketball circles. Keith has spent the past eight seasons as the head coach of the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz Hawks men's basketball team, propelling the program to its first-ever SUNYAC regular season title in its 77-year history in 2025. That title came on the heels of the Hawks capturing the program’s first-ever SUNYAC Tournament Championship in 2024, when New Paltz upset two-time defending champion and No. 5 nationally ranked Oswego on its home court.
In addition to earning the Hawks their inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance, Keith led the program to its first 20-win season, best-ever conference record, a Top 7 regional ranking in the final Division III Regional poll, a Top 5 defense nationally and the winningest season to date. Keith and his staff were awarded the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award for their efforts. The only coach in New Paltz history with a winning record, Keith is the only men’s basketball coach in history to receive the Coaching Staff of the Year Award, land three players on the All-Conference Team and have a player earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.
A Middletown, N.Y. native who attended Pine Bush High School, Keith began his basketball odyssey as a standout player in the Hudson Valley, being selected as a First-Team Times-Herald Record All-Star his senior year, leading Section IX in scoring (26.0 ppg) and gaining All-State Class AA honors.
Keith played from 1995-97 at SUNY Cobleskill, gaining All-America recognition and graduating as the school's all-time scoring leader (991 points in two seasons) and all-time career steals leader. Named captain during his two years there, his Cobleskill teams went a combined 60-9 in two years, eventually earning him entry into the Cobleskill Athletic Hall of Fame.
Despite receiving scholarship offers, Keith committed to play close to home at SUNY New Paltz, becoming one of the most talented men’s basketball players to ever lace them up for the Hawks. A two-time First-Team All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) selection, Keith received the department’s esteemed Floyd Patterson Male Athlete of the Year following the 1998-99 academic year in recognition of his on-court success. He has the fifth-highest career scoring average in SUNYAC play history at 20.5, totaling 927 career points in less than two full seasons at SUNY New Paltz. Keith captained the 1999 ECAC Championship team that finished 18-11, holds the all-time 3-pointers made record in a game with nine and scored 41 points in the ECAC Championship game. The 1999 team held the all-time record for wins for SUNY New Paltz Men’s basketball history until he broke that record as a coach the past two seasons.
In his four years of playing at SUNY New Paltz and Cobleskill, Keith scored a total of 1, 918 points in his college career. His team records were 90-33 in his four years of college basketball. Keith played professionally for the Hudson Valley Hawks in 2007 at the age of 30 and averaged 24.5 points a game and was part of the inaugural season championship team.
Keith has established a reputation as a game-changer for programs, propelling his teams to their best-ever, single-season records for wins at Pine Bush, Cobleskill and SUNY New Paltz. There is no better proof than at SUNY New Paltz, where Keith took over a one-win program and led it to its first overall winning season in 20 years.
Beyond coaching, Keith has contributed significantly to the SUNY New Paltz community, serving as the Assistant Director of Athletics, overseeing wellness and recreation programs, and launching initiatives like the Hawks Leadership Academy. His dedication to wellness extends to his personal life, having completed the New York City Marathon twice and working as a personal trainer.
