CAA Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | May 30, 2020

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 02: Jamie Skeen #21 and Toby Veal #31 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams react during a timeout against the Butler Bulldogs during the National Semifinal game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Reliant Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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PROVIDENCE, RI – MARCH 17: Head coach Kevin Keatts of the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

3. Kevin Keatts – UNC Wilmington (2014-2017)

As previously mentioned, UNC Wilmington went through a bit of a dead stretch, with Keatts inheriting a troubled program in 2014. Keatts had just won a title as an assistant at Louisville, but there was no guarantee he could translate success for the Seahawks. What transpired over the next three years was completely unexpected.

In the six years before Keatts’ arrival, the Seahawks averaged 13 conference losses and never finished higher than 13-18. During his three years with the team, they only lost 13 conference games total. UNC Wilmington made a pair of NCAA Tournaments, cumulating with a 29-win season in 2017. In just a few short years, Keatts completely transformed this program, producing one of the best mid-major turnarounds of the decade. He was hired at NC State soon after that third season concluded.

In the three years since Keatts’ departure, the wheels have come off for UNC Wilmington once again. The Seahawks have won 11 games or fewer in each of those seasons, with Keatts’ success seeming to be a distant memory. This team has put up abysmal results in every recent season not coached by Keatts They have recently hired longtime Keatts assistant Takayo Siddle as new head coach, but there’s no guarantee he can replicate that success. Maybe he’ll get the job done.