OLIVER KEEBLE OF CENTENARY COLLEGE, a senior guard on the men's basketball team from Newcastle, Australia, has been selected as the SCAC Character & Community Male Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning February 10.
The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Oliver Keeble is a quiet and calm person by nature. He does not seek out attention or recognition but his hard work and dedication could not go unnoticed for much longer and that is a good thing.
His work with Common Ground Community, a neighborhood community center in Shreveport is a big part of his life and something he always makes time for.
I volunteer at Common Ground when I can,” said Keeble. “Usually my work there involves tutoring kids in their after school program. When the season finishes up, I will get the chance to do that more often.”
Keeble is focused on his life in Louisiana, but naturally is keeping an eye on what is going on back in his homeland of Australia.
“I’ve been doing what I can to raise awareness about supporting the appropriate charities that are combatting the bushfires back home in Australia too,” said Keeble.
Keeble said that being a Centenary student is a great feeling. He enjoys the fact that the small campus creates a kind of family environment.
“Everyone is so accepting and supporting of everyone here,” said Keeble.
“I’ve met some of my closest friends here because of that aspect. That has also helped a lot with being away from home for so long too.
“Oliver has been a great asset to our program for the past three years,” said Centenary head coach Chris Dorsey. His leadership on and off the court is a big reason to our success. Oliver is what Centenary basketball is all about. He is a great student, he's always the first person to practice and holds his teammates accountable for giving their best, and he is a great model citizen within the Centenary campus and Shreveport community.”
“Oliver understands the importance in serving other people and I'm proud of him for serving the Shreveport community through the Common Ground organization. Oliver is the true definition of a "student-athlete" and I know he will have continued success in his life after college.”
Keeble has lived in the United States for five years now and credits the close-knit Centenary environment for his current comfort level.
“I couldn’t have done it without the people at this school that have made it so great. Being a student-athlete here is a special feeling. The majority of the school are student-athletes, which makes everything easier. Most of us here are going through the same thing athletics wise.