The Keota School Board voted to hire Shane Brown as the 2025-2026 high school/ junior high girls basketball head coach on April 14. Brown replaces Michael Harris who led the Lady Lions to a 4-15 record in his only season with the team.

“I love the small school atmosphere. From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew Keota was a place I wanted to be. It felt like home. Keota has a rich and proud basketball tradition. The community loves their athletic programs and they support their teams. I am excited to see what the future holds for us at Keota.,” Brown said.

Brown spent the past nine years at Central Sallisaw (seven as girls basketball head coach) where he led the girls basketball program to four area tournament appearances. He started his career at Howe where he coaches softball and boys basketball. In 2014, he took the Howe boys to the state tournament. In his career he has a 115-58 (.665) record as a girls basketball head coach. Between both boys and girls basketball he has a record of 231116 (.667).

“I have some great coworkers at Central and the kids are great. We’ve been very successful there and I am sure they will continue to be successful. While it is a hard decision, I am very excited about my new opportunities at Keota,” Brown said.

He is a defensive minded coach and his goal is to make it difficult for opposing teams to score. In the past, Brown has often had his team play a man defense but uses a zone strategically. On offense, he runs a motion offense with many different sets and entries to start the offense.

Coach Brown views the summer as a great chance for the players to gain experience. He plans to take his team to multiple team camps to help prepare his team for next season.

“Keota Public School is looking forward to giving Coach Brown the opportunity to contribute to the success and growth of our girls basketball program. With his substantial skills and experience, we are confident that he will be an asset to Keota Public Schools. Coach Brown’s passion and vision to develop a girls’ basketball program perfectly aligned with the school’s goals moving forward,” Candice Dominguez, Keota Public Schools Superintendent said.