Aug. 21, 2008

THIBODAUX, La. - Will Kellner enters his first season with the Colonels after spending the past two seasons at Kilgore College under head coach Scott Schumacher.

"I am excited to have Will on our staff," noted Head Coach J.P. Piper. "He has great recruiting connections as well as an intimate knowledge of the game. He will be a great fit for us."

As an assistant for the Rangers, Kellner helped guide Kilgore to a 31-29 overall record in his two-year stint, including a 10-0 start and No. 10 national ranking in 2006-07. During that time Kellner led two National Junior College Athletic Association All Americans: Marcus Thornton (Baton Rouge, La.) and Ridge McKeither (Danville, Va.) Five Kilgore student-athletes went on to sign Division I scholarships during Kellner's time with the Rangers.

Prior to his tenure at Kilgore, Kellner served as a graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette under head coach Robert Lee. During his time at UL-Lafayette Kellner worked with two players who have signed NBA contracts: Orien Greene - the 53rd overall pick of the Boston Celtics who went on to play for the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings - and Dwayne Mitchell, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Seven other players went on to play professionally overseas.

Before working at UL-Lafayette, Kellner coached some of the top talent in the state of Louisiana while working with various AAU programs.

Kellner is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and attended St. Thomas More High School. He earned his B.A. in English and M.B.A from UL-Lafayette.

He is engaged to Virginia Simon of Lafayette, La.

######