Kelam Named Lacrosse Coach

De Smet Jesuit High School alumnus Ron Kelam, Jr. `96 returns to his alma mater, selected as the school's head varsity lacrosse coach.

Kelam, who spent last season at the helm of the St. Louis University club program, brings a wealth of coaching and playing experience to De Smet Jesuit, and was twice named the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MSLA) High School Coach of the Year. He earned his first Coach of the Year recognition in 2001 after guiding Parkway South, where he served as head coach from 2000-03, to its first playoff berth in school history.

From 2004-09, Kelam grew the lacrosse program at St. Louis University High School, where he received 2008 MSLA Coach of the Year accolades and coached the Jr. Bills to the 2009 state championship.

He also earned a state title as captain of De Smet's 1996 championship squad. Wearing the Spartan maroon and white, Kelam, a four-year varsity player, was a three-time all-state selection and a three-year captain under Coach Mike Sennett. He was also honored as the 1995 Fr. Jean De Brebauf Award recipient, 1996 MSLA MVP on offense and a national north/south all-star for Missouri.

"We welcome Coach Kelam back to De Smet and to our lacrosse program,” Athletic Director Kevin Fober said. "I look forward to working with Ron, and I am confident he will do a great job. We are especially impressed with his success in building a lacrosse power at two different schools, neither of which had previous lacrosse traditions.”

Kelam got his introduction to high school coaching in 1997, joining Sennett's staff as head coach of the De Smet freshmen team, a position he held through the 1999 season. His coaching resume also includes positions with various youth lacrosse clubs and camps.

Photo by Nathan Ryan `13