Keith Ferguson is the eighth coach in NSU women's basketball history and enters his second season in Tahlequah after spending seven as the head women's basketball coach at Bethany College (Kansas).
The 2024-25 season saw Northeastern State continue in its return to a winning tradition, completing a regular season sweep of in-state rival Central Oklahoma for a second straight season under Ferguson, while additionally earning their first win over Missouri Southern since 2019 and their first victory over Emporia State inside White Auditorium since 2015. Ferguson coached Alex Hill and Courtney Lee to career milestones, with Hill scoring her 1,000th career point in the ESU victory on Jan. 23 and Lee landing her 500th career rebound two days later on Jan. 25 in a win against Newman. The team won seven home games on the campaign, while they achieved their highest home attendance ranking in program history at 14th in Division II women's basketball with an overall attendance of 13,357.
Ferguson's first season at the helm saw the RiverHawks reach a level of success that had not been seen in over a decade, as they won their most overall games since the 2012-13 season and won their most home games since the 2011-12 season. Key wins included triumphs at home over the defending conference champions in Nebraska-Kearney and the eventual MIAA regular season champions in Missouri Western. NSU also claimed a regular season sweep over in-state foe Central Oklahoma, while punching a ticket to their first MIAA Tournament since 2018. Courtney Lee and Halie Jones earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention selections for their work under Ferguson's watch for the year.
Ferguson is the third-winningest coach in Bethany women's basketball history, holding a mark of 121-87 for his alma mater. His teams produced three 20-win seasons, 16 All-Conference selections, two Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Defensive Players of the Year, one KCAC Freshman of the Year, and one All-American.
Ferguson turned over a Bethany program that won 18 games in the three years before his arrival into a perennial KCAC contender and was named its conference's Coach of the Year in 2018. He guided the Swedes to six consecutive KCAC postseason berths, reaching the semifinals twice, and held a 97-64 mark against conference foes.
Before returning to Bethany, Ferguson spent four seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant women's basketball coach splitting his time between Fresno State University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
At Fresno State, he helped the Bulldogs win 45 games in two seasons, including two second-round appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Ferguson had six players earn all-conference team awards and three individual awards over the two years, including a co-player of the year award. While he was with the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Ferguson recruited the top-ranked class in the Sunbelt Conference in 2014.
He was an assistant at Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) during the 2011-12 season when the team finished with a 36-1 record and was the national runner-up at the NJCAA Tournament. Five players from this team received Division I offers.
Ferguson also went 94-50 as a Junior College Head Coach for Brown Mackie College from 2007-09 and then Barton Community College from 2009-11. He led Brown Mackie to the program's first 20-win season and coached Barton to a 21-11 overall record and a Jayhawk Conference runner-up finish.
Ferguson graduated from Bethany College with a bachelor's in business management in 2011.
Coaching History
2023-Present: Northeastern State, head women's basketball coach
2016-23: Bethany College, head women's basketball coach
2014-16: Fresno State University, assistant women's basketball coach
2012-14: University of Louisiana at Monroe, assistant women's basketball coach
2011-12: Hutchinson Community College, assistant women's basketball coach
2009-11: Barton Community College, head women's basketball coach
2007-09: Brown Mackie College, head women's basketball coach
Four-Year Head Coaching Year-By-Year
| Season |
Team |
Overall |
Postseason |
| 2024-25 |
Northeastern State |
11-17 |
|
| 2023-24 |
Northeastern State |
14-15 |
MIAA Tournament |
| 2022-23 |
Bethany |
20-8 |
KCAC Tournament |
| 2021-22 |
Bethany |
20-12 |
KCAC Tournament |
| 2020-21 |
Bethany |
16-10 |
KCAC Tournament |
| 2019-20 |
Bethany |
21-10 |
KCAC Tournament Semifinals |
| 2018-19 |
Bethany |
19-13 |
KCAC Tournament Semifinals |
| 2017-18 |
Bethany |
18-12 |
KCAC Tournament |
| 2016-17 |
Bethany |
7-22 |
|
