By Zach Tucker
RALEIGH, NC - Although the NC State men’s basketball team is not playing in the NCAA tournament this year, the program gained a win on Friday after naming Kevin Keatts as its new head basketball coach. Keatts will earn $2.2 million annually over the course of six years.
Keatts said all of the right things at his press conference on Sunday. He wants to get the program back to its winning tradition. He mentioned growing up as a NC State fan in Virginia and watching players like David Thompson. He made a reference to the magical 1983 National Championship team with legendary coach Jim Valvano. Keatts wants his new team to pride itself on conditioning, an up-tempo style and creating turnovers with a pressure defense. “If you play for the front of the jersey, which is NC State, then the back will get credit,” exclaimed Keatts. Keatts believes that his system will be enjoyable for recruits and current players. He envisions a team that will not only excel on the court, but also in the classroom.
After entering the season with high expectations, the Wolfpack finished the 2016-2017 season with a 15-17 record and an abysmal 4-14 conference record. In fact, the Pack have only won nine games combined in the ACC over the last two seasons. Not even a road win against Duke (which was their first win at Cameron Indoor in 22 years) could save Mark Gottfried from the chopping block. Keatts will inherit a Wolfpack team that finished this past season ranked 73rd nationally in points per game and 323rd in points allowed per game.
Keatts comes to Raleigh with a good basketball pedigree. For the past three years Keatts had been the head coach at UNC-Wilmington. In two out of three seasons he helped coach UNCW to two first place finishes in the CAA tournament and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Keatts was an assistant coach at the University of Louisville from 2011-2014, before coaching at UNCW. In three seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals went to the Final Four twice and won the National Championship in 2013. Prior to his arrival at Louisville, Keatts was the head coach at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. Keatts compiled a 263-17 at the academy and led them to two prep championships, three runner-up finishes and two other final four appearances. Keatts also had stints as an assistant coach at Marshall University and Southwestern Michigan College. 
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