Palmetto Ridge boys basketball team manager recognized with playing time

Before every Palmetto Ridge boys basketball game, you can find team manager, Adrian Keithley, and senior guard DJ Holmes working on free throws.

“It puts a smile on my face every time I see him make free throws out there,” Keithley said. “Cause I feel like I’m a part of that and I contributed.”

“I was shooting below 30 percent. Now I’m up to 75 percent,” Holmes said.

“Since I’ve been doing these 25 free throws, I’m like let’s do it,” Holmes added. “I’m confident. I’m positive I’ll make it.”

Keithley’s basketball mind is filled with numbers. As team manager, his main responsibility is keeping stats in real time, which the team utilizes to help come up with the game plan and rotations.

“Him keeping track of data and stats is like someone playing the piano,” Palmetto Ridge boys basketball head coach John Solak explained. “It just comes natural to him.”

Solak also added, “He is more valuable than anyone could quantify. The nuance of the things that he does and the insights that he provides us with and how fast he provides it to us is absolutely critical.”

It’s clear the Bears know how hard Keithley works. So to recognize his efforts, Keithley suited up and played in their game against Bonita Springs, having his name show up in the stat sheet this time.

“It’s an honor to show like everything I do has been like noticed and recognized and appreciated,” Keithley said.

“I was just so happy,” Solak recalled. “You know he paid his dues. He shows up every day. He does what’s asked of him and then some and a lot. And I was proud to put him in.”

Keithley’s future in the game is away from the court. He wants to work in the front office of a NBA organization.

“Coming in I had no clue what I wanted to do like in my future,” Keithley explained. “And like as the years went on, the vision has become a lot clearer of what I want to do with my future.”