Originally recruited by Head Coach Dom Rosselli, John Keshock played his first collegiate season for the legendary coach, then ended his four-year career by playing his final three seasons under Mike Rice.
A native of Highland Heights, Ohio, Keshock starred scholastically at Mayfield High School, earning Associated Press All-Ohio Special Mention honors and McDonald's Honorable-Mention All-America laurels. He averaged 24.3 points and 9.6 caroms per game as a senior in high school, and was a First-Team All Northeastern Ohio pick, earning Cleveland Plain Dealer "Dream Team" plaudits and was the News-Herald's Class AAA "Player of the Year."
His collegiate career was somewhat uneventful in the beginÂning, playing in 72 games through his first three seasons while starting just four of those contests (three during his initial collegiate campaign in 1981-82). One of the top academicians on the team during his four years at YSU, it was during his senior season that his game really prospered as he helped the Penguins come to within an eyelash of winning the Ohio Valley Conference Post-Season Tournament, and making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance on the Division I level.
As a senior, he scored 455 total points (he finished with 848 for his career), an average of 15.2 per outing. Yet if there was a big bucket to be made, and the game was on the line, he became the 'go-to" guy time and again and Rice's confidence in his senior leader paid real dividends.
He helped the Penguins to a 60-52 overall mark (his first four seasons were the team's first four seasons in Division I) and the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Post-Season TourÂnament during both his junior and senior seasons.
However, the most memorable basket in recent years that didn't count came off a Keshock jumper during his senior season. The team met Middle Tennessee State in the championship game of the Post-Season Tournament in March 1985, and built a comfortable lead. The Blue Raiders rallied to take the lead with under a minute to play and while Keshock came down the floor to sink what was believed to be the eventual winning bucket, it was waived off when it was discovered that a teammate had called time out. The Penguins were unable to score and then fell short of an NCAA TournaÂment bid for the second straight year.
For his exploits as a senior, he earned First-Team Ohio Valley Conference honors, was named the 'Most Valuable Player" of the O.V.C. Tournament (despite being on the losing squad), was the team's M.V.P. (in addition to being the leading scorer and rebounder as well) and in the process, became the first-ever Penguin cager to earn All-America honors (he was picked as an Honorable Mention selection by the Associate Press) while competing strictly in Division 1. He was also an Academic Scholarship Award/Dean's List recipient that season as well.
He earned his BSBA degree in Management in 1985, and is currently a practicing attorney in the Cleveland area.
