When great leaders must step down or move on, successors are chosen and rise proudly to the occasion. Such a case happened after Grant Leep, the former head coach for Seattle Pacific University’s men’s basketball team, departed for Seattle University.
Leep was succeeded by Keffrey Fazio, who served as Leep’s assistant coach for four years, from the 2019-2020 season to the 2022-2023 season. Fazio was named the interim head coach for SPU’s men’s basketball team in spring 2023.
During the 2023-2024 season, Fazio led the Falcons to their 12th appearance in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship tournament, where they secured fifth place with an overall record of 17-15.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to coach at such a cool university, to lead a program that’s got a great tradition. I’m very thankful for [Coach Leep’s] mentorship and support. I wouldn’t be able to do this job without his trust and the relationship that I’ve got with him,” Fazio said.
As of April 12, 2024, Fazio was officially named the new head coach for men’s basketball, a title he has been chasing for many years.
“My goal from a young age was to become a college basketball coach, and I’m getting that opportunity now,” Fazio said. “Now that I’m here, I want to keep finding ways to better myself and keep leading our program in a way that represents our university and its mission.”
The promotion was a pleasant surprise for Fazio, who did not expect to inherit the role following the season’s end. Fazio intended to lead well and trusted the title would find the right person.
“I told myself when I was given the interim title, ‘Be yourself, lead the program in the way that you know is best. If you did that, if you do things right, the rest of the stuff will take care of itself.’ I’m just thankful that it did,” Fazio said.
Fazio may not have expected to receive the official position, but his athletes and coworkers had no doubts about him losing his “interim” tag. Junior communications major Brian Caldera, a men’s basketball team shooting guard, shared how he always saw Fazio as the head coach.
“When we made the GNAC tournament this year, I knew he was going to get the interim tag removed,” Caldera said. “Even as the interim head coach, he made his presence known. It’s not like he’s [suddenly] the actual head coach now. Because of his presence and how he carries himself, he was always like that.”
Caldera further praised Fazio for his passion and attitude for the program.
“[Coach Fazio] is a phenomenal leader and super passionate about us, his job, and the people around him, and he doesn’t take anything for granted,” Caldera said. He says he’s a truth-teller and a truth-seeker, and he really does live his life that way. He shows that concept in how he treats us, showing love for us and a passion for us to be better basketball players and men.”
Head coach for women’s basketball Mike Simonson had a similar journey to Fazio. Simonson was named head coach of the women’s program in 2018 after spending two years as an assistant coach under Julie Heisey.
“What’s been cool for me as a friend has been seeing his journey. I was just enamored with his confidence and his faith … especially in an interim year when the future is uncertain,” Simonson said. “There were times few and far between when I could offer advice or help. I believe our relationship will continue to grow in that area. If he needs some help or advice from me, I’m going to be lending that hand.”
Moving forward, Fazio is excited to build on the program and strive for excellence on and off the court.
“Our job is to lead the program, and my two assistant coaches and I are very authentic in our approach. Nothing is going to change from that standpoint,” Fazio said. “We’re excited about the group we will have back next year. There are different challenges every year, so we’re excited about those challenges and hope our student-athletes navigate those and have a successful season.”
