Greaney signs as dual-sport athlete for Macalester College

Keegan Greaney has committed to play basketball and run track for Macalester College, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Greaney has been a stand-out athlete in both basketball and track for Sisters High School the past four years, and will bring his abilities and love of those sports with him as a Scot.

Keegan played full-time on the Sisters High School (SHS) varsity basketball team for three years, and was selected first team all conference all three years. He averaged nine points, two assists, three steals, and five boards per game. He's very versatile and played at point guard, shooting guard, and small forward.

Sisters High School varsity basketball Coach Rand Runco said, "Keegan was such a terrific player to coach. He is one of the best defensive players in the state and completely changes opponents' ability to run offense. He literally takes players and teams away on the defensive end of the court. His work ethic is outstanding and he often works long hours to make sure he honors his commitments."

Keegan started to play basketball when he was 6 years old, and shared with The Nugget his earliest memory of playing hoops.

"I was about 6 and can remember playing basketball with my oldest brother Brian (9 years older), going one-on-one in the backyard almost every day," said Greaney. "I didn't beat him one-on-one until I was 14 years old. He'd let me get close, but he'd never let me win. It was definitely a motivation to get better."

In addition to being a standout basketball player, Greaney is also a stellar trackster. Keegan has been on the varsity squad for four years, and has made his mark in several events. Keegan broke the record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40 seconds, runs the 110 hurdles in 16 seconds, is the first leg of the 4x100 relay, and runs anchor in the 4x400 relay.

Keegan told The Nugget he's always wanted to play basketball at the collegiate level, and was searching for a small, academically challenging college. He sent basketball videos to several colleges he was interested in, and last summer went back east and visited three colleges: Tufts University in Boston; Williams College in Massachusetts; and Oberlin College in Ohio - but none of them felt like the right fit.

Just before school started in the fall, head basketball coach Tim Whittle, of Macalester College, contacted him and asked him to come for a visit. About the same time, Keegan received an email from the track coach, Margaret Gehring, who'd looked him up, saw his times in track, and expressed interest in him running track as well.

In October, Greaney visited Macalester and met with both the basketball and track coaches.

"Coach Whittle told me he felt I would be a good fit for the program with my style of play, and that the school was the right fit academically," said Greaney. "After my visit I was offered a spot on the team as a guard."

In addition to playing basketball, Greaney will run the 400 hurdles, and possibly do the decathlon and the 4x400 relay for the track team.

After a couple months of thinking seriously about the opportunity, and talking with his parents, Keegan knew Macalester would be the one.

"I applied early decision, which is a binding application," said Greaney. "In late January, I accepted the spots on both the basketball and track teams.

"I really liked the school and the people," said Greaney. "It's very rigorous academically, and I want to push myself, and feel I'm up for the challenge. It's in a unique location in the Twin Cities and I feel like my academic opportunities will be enhanced by living in an urban area. I'm excited I will get to meet new people, and that I get to do the two sports I absolutely love."

Macalester College is a Division 3 school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is not allowed to offer athletic scholarships. That wasn't a problem for Greaney, who boasts a weighted 4.0 GPA, and will have the majority of his expenses covered due to academic scholarships.

Greaney told The Nugget he was very relieved when the whole process was over and he'd made a definite decision to go to Macalester.

"I was very relieved because inside I knew Macalester was the right place for me, and I had fulfilled my goal to play college basketball."

Keegan is considering pursuing a degree in Political Science or International Studies.