A New Era for SMR Basketball
St. Mary’s Ryken has announced the hiring of Keith Veney Sr. as its new Head Coach for the boys basketball program, tapping a veteran with more than two decades of experience across professional, collegiate and high school basketball.
Veney arrives after a stint as a Player Development Coach with the Dallas Mavericks, where he honed his focus on shooting mechanics, ball‑handling drills and on‑court decision‑making for NBA talent.
A Track Record of Leadership
Beyond the Mavericks, he has built a reputation through Shot Doc Nation, a training venture that has worked with NBA and WNBA players, and through the Keith Veney Leadership Academy, which blends life‑skill instruction, financial literacy and fitness for young athletes.
His playing background includes a professional career that stretched from the Sacramento Kings to leagues in France, Israel, Poland, Iceland and the Dominican Republic, giving him a global perspective on the game.
Veney also brings a business‑focused mindset from his time as a Sports Marketing Business Manager at Nike, where he oversaw promotional strategies for NBA and WNBA stars, and he holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Counseling from Marshall University.
Steve Howes, Director of Athletics at St. Mary’s Ryken, praised Veney’s blend of coaching acumen and mentorship, noting that the program will emphasize player development and the growth of the whole student‑athlete.
Veney will join the SMR staff in Student Life right away, ready to translate his extensive experience into a culture of excellence on and off the court.