NC State Basketball: Five potential replacements for Mark Gottfried

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Mar 17, 2016; Providence, RI, USA; UNC Wilmington Seahawks coach Kevin Keatts reacts during the first half of a first round game of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Kevin Keatts

Kevin Keatts has only been coaching UNC-Wilmington for three years, but he has already put the program on the map as one of the more talented mid-majors in the country. A Rick Pitino disciple, Keatts has progressively improved his group by making the CIT in year one with an 18-14 overall record, making the NCAA Tournament in year two and nearly defeating Duke in the opening round, and now, only dropping five of 28 games in year three so far.

Keatts has even helped transition the Seahawks to a team that is more likely to pull off upsets in March. UNC-Wilmington still pressures the basketball, but they have limited it to a certain extent in order to improve their offensive punch — relying solely on forcing turnovers and scoring baskets on the other end is not a recipe to win games in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, Wilmington has cut down significantly on their fouls per game.

This hire would make all the sense in the world for NC State. Keatts is just 44-years old and like Sampson, he would bring more aggressiveness and energy to the program. He obviously knows the North Carolina area (which will help him with recruiting) and has experience coaching under a Hall of Famer. If I was NC State I would go after Keatts…hard!

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