- In her second season as an assistant coach for the UIS women’s basketball program
- In her college career, played in 57 games at the NCAA Division I level
- Was a member of the Cal State University, Bakersfield basketball program from 2014-17, before graduating and playing the 2017-18 season at Ball State
Keri Kleist is in her first second season as an assistant coach with the University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team in 2019-20.
Kleist was a member of last year’s coaching staff for a UIS team that won eight games, including ending the season with a nine-point win over eventual GLVC Tournament finalist Bellarmine.
Kleist comes to UIS from Ball State University where she was a member of the women's basketball team. She appeared in 10 games and had six points and 13 rebounds. She was a part of a squad that went 25-7 overall, and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.
Kleist was a member of the NCAA Division I Cal State University Bakersfield women’s basketball program from 2014-17. She played in 28 games during the 2015-16 season, and recorded 36 points, 46 rebounds, six assists, six blocks, and 10 steals. She missed the other two years with an injury.
She played at Moberly Area Community College team in 2013-14. She averaged 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She shot 49.4 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from three-point range. She helped the team go 21-7 and reach the NJCAA Region 16 semifinals.
Kleist started her college career at NCAA Division I UMBC, where she appeared in 19 games with one start. She finished the year with 25 points and 30 rebounds.
Kleist worked as a basketball skills trainer in 2015, where she prepared boys for school basketball tryouts. She also was a girls basketball coach at a Cal State, Bakersfield summer camp, and a volunteer in 2017 with the Cal State, Bakersfield athletics department in promoting women’s basketball games.
Kleist earned her Bachelors of Science in Economics from Cal State, Bakersfield in 2016. She was an academic all-conference selection in 2015 and 2016. She is currently working on her Master's at UIS in Public Administration.
