NC State Basketball: In-depth look at Wolfpack Head Coach Kevin Keatts
By Zac Voynow
Ready for the ACC
Keatts immaculate success at UNCW brought him to the fore front of the coaching carousal. He was one of the hottest commodities on the open market, and there were many buyers ready to place their bid for the up and coming 44-year-old. When NC State came calling, it was too good of an opportunity for Keatts to pass up. Keatts made the trek two hours up I-40 to one of the most storied programs not only in the ACC, but in the whole nation.
In his first season at NC State, Keatts brought them back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in two seasons. Now in his second season with the Wolfpack, he has them rolling. They started the season 13-1 before suffering a close home loss to UNC, but even in defeat they made a statement. It’s clear this team is for real and will be a tough opponent for anyone in the nation. When they’re clicking they can run any team in the country out of the building, and that’s due to Keatts coaching style.
Kevin Keatts is an elite coach
Keatts coaching style is second to none. He has a similar basic idea as Bob Huggins in West Virginia, but it feels like Keatts will end up being more successful. Everywhere he’s coached he’s brought great success with him. His 262-17 record at Hargrave is really an incredible feat when you think about it. He was coaching a post-grad program against colleges, as well as world-famous basketball schools like Oak Hill, Dematha, and Montverde.
Rick Pitino credited Keatts with greatly helping Louisville win the 2013 national championship due to his fantastic recruiting skills and in-game coaching. He’s a disciplinary coach who’s also beloved by all of his players. At UNCW he brought a school that hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2006 to the big dance in back to back seasons during his second and third year as head coach. He brought in players that are now experiencing great success over seas, and even four of them got drafted in the NBA D League draft.
He brought CJ Bryce with him to NC State, and now Bryce is a quality starter in the best conference in the country. His tempo led by stellar, aggressive defense and trapping is a scheme that’s fool proof. You run, defend, and win. It’s a simple equation, but without hard work in the offseason it’s impossible to accomplish.
ACC Power Rankings. dark. Next
It takes incredible discipline to press 94 feet the entire game, yet play under control. Keatts has mastered that art, and I’m confident sooner or later he will bring NC State their first title since 1983.