NC State Basketball
Wolferetti: Keatts without a single ACC COY vote tells you all you need to know about the ACC voting panel
I wasn’t expecting to see Kevin Keatts win coach win ACC’s coach of the year.
NC State was picked to finish 11th or 12th in most projections. They finished 9th. So while they exceeded some expectations, they still didn’t shock the world or anything.
What I was expecting to see, however, was Kevin Keatts receiving a few votes.
The Wolfpack wasn’t supposed to be very good this year and that was WITH their senior leader, leading scorer, and most ball-dominant guard, Devon Daniels. What the Pack did without Daniels hasn’t been talked about enough, and it seems as if the panel of coaches and media members have decided to memory-hole the whole situation.
Who was the winner of ACC’s coach of the year, you ask?
Mike Young of Virginia Tech.
Yep, that Mike Young. The one who led the team who only played about half their games and who had a player arrested this season. The guy whose team got COVID passes to skip playing #15 FSU TWICE, Louisville, UNC, and a red-hot NC State team who was peaking right at the right time (while claiming his team was completely healthy.)
So what did Virginia Tech even do this season? Oh, they beat #3 Villanova at the very beginning of the season, eeked out a win over #24 Clemson, and beat #8 UVA. Ok fine, those are some nice wins, but they also got drubbed by Penn State (by 20), lost to Syracuse by 18, and lost to Pitt (yes, that Pitt) by 11.
It’s not like they had to overcome that much more than any other team, and I’d argue Young didn’t overcome half of what Kevin Keatts overcame.
Try losing two of your starting guards to injury, one of which was your team’s leading scorer and emotional leader. Try then having to rely on 3 freshmen to save your season, only to go on a 5 game winning streak to close the season, while winning 5 (YES, 5) ACC road games in a row.
So yeah, do I think Kevin Keatts did a better coaching job than Mike Young? I do.
Do I think that means Kevin Keatts should be ACC coach of the year? No, I don’t.
What Josh Pastner has done with Georgia Tech is amazing, what Leanord Hamilton has done at Florida State is a worthy contender, and as much as I hate to say it, what Tony Bennett has done at UVA is pretty darn impressive too.
But when I look at the list of who received votes and Mike Young is leading it. I don’t even begin to take it seriously. And don’t even get me started on Brad Brownell and Chris Mack receiving votes, while Kevin Keatts doesn’t get a single one.
What the heck has Chris Mack done?
Are we giving out points for who had the longest COVID pause? Louisville hasn’t surprised anyone, and Mack hasn’t worked any kind of wonders to change the course of their season. They got smoked by almost 40 to #12 Wisconsin. They lost to Miami and their only great win was by 2 over Virginia Tech. So you beat Duke twice? Are we also giving points for name recognition wins? Because Duke is the 10th best team in the ACC.
My point is, what the h*ll type of criteria are these people looking at?
I’d argue Kevin Keatts has overcome more than any coach in the ACC. He’s had to completely retool his team midseason, from a guard-oriented, turnover-creating, up-and-down team, to a more traditional team that focuses on size, and who is relying on freshmen during a year when most young teams are spiraling out of control.
So gimme a break, ACC. Gimme a freakin’ break.
What other team has gone on two extended COVID pauses (we get points for that, right?), lost two upper-class starting guards, and had to change their complete identity, only to reel off a 5 game winning streak with their backs against the wall, and do a good deal of that on the road.
I’ll wait…
I’m still waiting….
Am I someone who thinks something is up with this league and that they have some sort of ingrained bias against the Wolfpack? Well, yeah I am, but at some point, you have to call it like it is. I’m sure Keatts doesn’t care one bit about receiving a vote or two for ACC coach of the year, but I do, and in this article, that’s all that matters.
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.
News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.
After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.
This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.
James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.
He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.
NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.
NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.
James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
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