When you coach one of the top programs in Division III, there is pressure to succeed every time you lead your team onto the court.  When you return to the court after tying the program record for wins (25), advancing to the Sweet-16 of the NCAA tournament, not to mention being ranked in several preseason polls, the stakes become even higher.
Set to begin his ninth season as head coach of the Keene State men's basketball team, Rob Colbert wouldn't want it any other way. 
 
Directing a veteran team with high expectations, Colbert and his 2007-08 Owls are ready to accept the challenge of what promise to be a demanding schedule and maintaining the Owls' perch as a top program in New England and a consistent contender for the Little East Championship.
 
"When we took over the program 10 years ago, people laughed when we told them about our high aspirations for the program," Colbert said.  Now, we are viewed as a one of the national powers, and we have to live up to that name."
 
Under the direction of Colbert, the Owls have enjoyed unprecedented success.   During his tenure, Keene State has not only made nine post-season appearances, and claimed four conference regular season titles, but  captured a first-ever LEC championship and trip to the NCAA Elite-Eight in 2004 and advanced to the Sweet-16 last season. 
 
Under Colbert's direction, KSC has an impressive 82-30 record in the LEC, produced two All-Americans and three LEC Players of the Year, 17 All-LEC players, and seven 1,000-point scorers. His career record stands at 162-65 (.720 pct.).
 
That Keene State has become a top program under Colbert should come as no surprise. The Warwick, R.I., native coached at every level of college competition, including a two-year stint (1995-97) as an Owls' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, prior to taking over as Keene State's 11th head coach in 1999. Already working as a high school coach as an undergraduate, Colbert was hired as an assistant coach at Bard College (Annandale, N.Y.) after he graduated from Marist College in 1992. He served for two years as the head men's coach at Dutchess Community College (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), before coming to Keene State in the fall of 1995.
 
During his initial stint on the KSC staff, Colbert had the opportunity to bring to the campus many of the players who helped the Owls make an immediate impact in the Little East. He then returned to his alma mater to further his coaching experience and came back to KSC two years later as the Keene State's head coach.  
 
Coach Colbert directs the KSC Boys Basketball Camp each summer and the High Intensity Basketball Camp with former Keene High coach Phil Hebert. Colbert and his wife, Michelle, and son Andrew reside in Swanzey, N.H.

Kevin Justice begins his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Keene State men's basketball program. Justice, who also serves as the school's admission counselor for multicultural recruitment, will once again be involved in all facets of the program.  His responsibilities will also include post player development, and player relations.
 
Originally from Boise Idaho, Justice came to Keene State from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., where he was a four-year member of the basketball team.

The senior member of KSC's assistant coaching staff, Ben Mecklenberg returns for his seventh season with the program. Mecklenburg, will once again serve many roles with the team, including day-to-day operations, floor coaching, recruiting, and the Owls' director of scouting. Originally from Jamestown, North Dakota, Mecklenberg played at Jamestown High School before moving on to play two seasons at Jamestown College, a nationally ranked NAIA team. Mecklenberg is also the intramural coordinator at Keene State.

One of the most respected Owl players during his just completed four-year career, Matt Adams moves over to the bench as an assistant coach this season.
 
Adams, who served as a senior captain, will utilize his understanding of the game and leadership qualities to begin to mold what promises to be a successful coaching career.  In addition to dealing with player relations and monitoring the player's academic success, he will also head up Keene State's recruiting efforts.

A prolific outside shooter and three-point specialist during his KSC career, Adams joined the Owls after playing at Keene High School where he was a team captain and offensive MVP as a senior.
 
Adams, a Chesterfield, N.H. native, is currently completing his degree in History.