NC State hires Kevin Keatts

NC State hired Kevin Keatts today, according to reports. They will have a team meeting tonight.

Most of you know Keatts from Hargrave, where he coached former NC State point guard Lorenzo Brown. During Brown’s recruitment, we had the chance to speak with Keatts on numerous occasions. He is a good basketball mind and gave a lot of good insight into the recruiting process.

After Hargrave, he went to Louisville to become to the top recruiter for Rick Pitino’s squad. While there, he landed some impressive classes and started to make a name for himself. After his run with the Cardinals, Keatts took his first head coaching job at UNC-Wilmington. His work there is why he is currently on the Wolfpack’s radar.

In his three years at UNCW, Keatts has taken a struggling program and put them back on the map. Wilmington has finished 1st (or tied for first) in all three seasons under Keatts. He also won coach of the year in his first campaign.

So really, there is a lot to like about Kevin Keatts. He seems to check a lot of the boxes for the Wolfpack, but there is one thing that worries some. Keatts has yet to beat a top 50 school or even beat a team from a power 5 conference. So he has proven that he can win and win big in the Colonial Conference, but will that translate to the ACC? That’s what we’re about to find out.