South County rooting for Colgate
South Kingstown native Records reaches NCAA Tournament
Terry Lynch used to get texts from Keegan Records on summer days. It was always the same question – could he use the gym?
If the schedule allowed, Lynch would unlock the doors and let the former South Kingstown High School basketball star back onto his home court for workouts. Lynch, the athletic director, would get some work done in his office with the echoes of a bouncing ball nearby.
“Many, many times,” Lynch said. “I would come in and do some work and he’d be in the gym. He’s worked so hard and he’s always believed in himself.”
The hard work has paid off. These days, the texts are congratulations and well wishes as Records gets set to suit up for Colgate in the NCAA Tournament. The Patriot League champion Raiders are the No. 14 seed in the South Region and will face No. 3 Arkansas in the first round on Friday at 12:45 p.m.
South County will be cheering for them.
“He’s a real easy kid to root for,” said Steven Enright, who coached Records in the AAU ranks. “I’m really proud of him. He’s the kind of kid you want to be proud of. He was a classy, good citizen type of kid. All the kids he played with respected him and liked him. After the game, I got four or five texts and calls from kids he played with. They were all really excited and happy for him.”
Playing in the NCAA Tournament went hand-in-hand with Records’ goal of playing Division I college basketball, an objective he first nailed down as a freshman at South Kingstown High School. Back then, he watched March Madness like any other fan.
“Me and my dad always used to fill out brackets. We would always watch the selection show,” Records said Tuesday from his hotel room in Indianapolis. “I grew up as a URI fan but obviously drifted away from that as I found out I had the potential to play at that level. Just being a huge basketball fan, there’s nothing better than basketball in March.”
To become part of it, Records paired his size and potential with a strong work ethic. He made a splash with the Rebels as a 6-foot-6 sophomore, then grew two more inches and led his team to the state tournament final four as a senior, reaching 1,000 career points along the way.
He played AAU ball with the Rhode Island Cyclones throughout high school. Enright remembers the promise and the work to make good on it.
“He was still growing into his body and that was tough for him,” Enright said. “He had very large feet and he was awkward. But he always had a smile on his face, always worked hard and was always an excellent teammate. He was all the things you want in a ballplayer. And you could see the potential.”
A post-graduate year at St. Andrew’s furthered his development. Coach Mike Hart, who has sent stars to the college ranks for years, called him the most improved player in the history of the program.
Records jumped at an offer from Colgate, which had the academic fit and winning program that he was looking for. He made his decision soon after the Raiders gave Tennessee all it could handle in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
“I wanted to be somewhere that had a winning culture,” Records said. “Coming here, I knew we would have the players, the coaching staff, the athletic training staff – everybody would be able to contribute to where are today. That’s definitely something I set a goal to do. It feels good to actually be here.”
The Patriot League shifted to a conference-only schedule due to the pandemic, and the Raiders nearly ran the rable. With Records – now listed at 6-toot-10 – starting every game, they went 14-1. They lost their second game of the season before reeling off 13 consecutive wins, a streak that endured in the conference tournament. They beat Boston University, Bucknell and Loyola to capture their second championship in the last three years.
“It’s something that we had our minds set on at the beginning of the season,” Records said. “To finally be there and achieve it with all of our teammates was awesome. It was such a crazy year. It felt really good to run out on the court and celebrate.”
Records is averaging 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 18 blocked shots. In the Patriot League tournament, he scored 13.3 points per game, which included a 21-point effort in the semifinals.
“I think the main thing is just playing together,” Records said of the team’s success. “One of our main things is taking our shot. Coach says, when one player takes a shot, it’s our shot, it’s everyone’s shot. If you have the ball in your hands and you think you have the team’s best shot, you take it. If not, we’ll swing it around and find the person who can get the best shot. I think everyone fully committed to that. All five players on the court, we all have the same goal. We don’t care who puts the points up – as long as Colgate gets points. That’s really what helped us.”
Colgate clinched the Patriot League title on Sunday and left immediately for Indiana, where the entire NCAA Tournament will be held. COVID protocols have teams staying mostly on their own floors in hotels.
“Basically, we’re in our own little bubble,” Records said. “Even with all the restrictions, it’s been awesome so far. The experience obviously isn’t what it usually is, but it’s still been incredible.”