Vonwolf: Put Some Respect on Keatts’ Name

It’s a wild time to be a State men’s basketball fan.

Six weeks ago, the shovels were out and we were trying to determine which plot to bury the 2020-21 team. Since that point, the Pack has gone on a five-game winning streak, and have won six of their last eight. How has this happened? Who is responsible for this turnaround?

I think we all know the answer. It’s time we show some love for Mr. Keatts.

Whether it was after the Duke game or the ludicrous, fake rumors about Penn State, it was interesting to see some folks wonder again if Keatts was the right guy for the job. We even broke down all the things that have gone against him, from recruits heading straight to NBA, lack of love from the selection committee and unfortunate team health issues.

Kevin Keatts is a winner and this recent two-week stretch has shown it.

Win Baby Win

Winning cures all, doesn’t it? The Duke loss was bad and moments of the Pitt win at home, weren’t much better. Those aside, this five-game road winning streak is something else. We’re talking about State doing something it hasn’t done in nearly FIFTY YEARS.

Some people will say, “come on…these teams sucked” but that’s not the case in Vegas’ mind. Out of the five road wins, only Boston College found the Pack favored. That’s right, they thought Wake Forest would win. So not only on the road, but underdogs, and they won them all.

Even with stars going down for the year, COVID delays, mounting pressure, and questions bubbling up from a small sect of fans asking “Is he the right guy?”…Keatts still won’t have a losing record in the ACC. In 11 prior seasons under Gottfried and Lowe, State was below .500 for seven of them.

Freshmen Sensations 

Over this road streak, Seabron, Hayes, and Moore have averaged, as a trio, over 32 points per game. That doesn’t include the hustling, rebounding, blocks, assists, and steals (they had a combined TEN versus WF) they’ve put up.

The COVID hiatus hurt the freshman the most. Hayes was on a roll and just couldn’t find that spark for the next month-plus. Seabron and Moore had extended streaks of sub-ten-minute games.

But, baby, look at us now! You have to give credit to Keatts and staff for what they’ve been able to do.

These freshmen are playing with more confidence than I can remember from any freshman in the last ten years (Maybe Purvis and Smith Jr, but they might have been more cocky, than confident). Daniels and Allen go down, yet the old ball coach was able to take what many saw as pieces that simply didn’t fit together at this time, and  put them back to create something better than he had before. What you are watching is one of the best mid-season adjustments we’ve seen from an NC State coach in years.

No I in Team 

Every. Single. Game. (mostly) this team has had as much energy off the court as on. Everyone has bought in; whether they’re starters, role players, bench players or injured. That starts with the coach, and that was no small task with the COVID protocols this season.

Every new coach has a grace period of trying to mesh returning players (and transfers) with “his” players. More often than not, it’s a bumpy road with a few poor seasons mixed in there. Keatts, however, has bridged the gap and has done so in the middle of a season. He changed the identity of his team on the fly, slotting in 3 guys who really weren’t getting many minutes early on, and has actually improved his squad. There is only one way that this is even possible. Kevin Keatts’ team is 100% committed to playing for each other and 100% committed to his vision.

Future is Looking Brighter

These last two weeks have been monstrous for Keatts. Not only on the court but in recruiting terms as well. 2021 PG commit Breon Pass went off for 37 to beat a UNC recruit. 2021 SG commit Terquavion Smith is in the State championship game (for the 3rd year in a row) after dropping 27 points and showing up as SportsCenter’s #1 play of the day. Meanwhile, Ernest Ross, down in Florida, is also in the state championship game with his Class 4A squad.

Just look at next season. You lose Beverly and Funderburk from the current roster. Obviously Daniels is gone too, but you have Bates, Allen, Hellems, Hayes, Seabron, Moore. These are the guys who are winning games for you TODAY. You also have two guys in Nick Farrar and Ebenezer Dowuona who will have an offseason to improve and we haven’t even talked about the class of three 4-stars coming in and the likely addition of a grad-transfer this offseason.

Keatts is building something special. He’s been building it since the day he got here. I’m sure COVID or losing 2 of his upper-class starters wasn’t in his plans, but all you can ask from your coach is to adjust and adapt to win. Keatts is doing that right before your eyes.

I think, when you really look at it, it’s time we put a little more respect on Keatts’ name.