NC STATE FIRES KEATTS!! Instant reaction and a name to watch

After 8 years, Kevin Keatts has been fired.

Here is NC State’s release:

NC State’s McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan has announced that Wolfpack men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts has been relieved of his duties effective immediately.

“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with class,” said Corrigan.  “He will always have a treasured place in Wolfpack history for the accomplishments of his 2023-24 squad and I appreciate the passion he brought to this role.  We wish him and his family the best in the future.” 

Keatts, who just finished his eighth season at NC State, posted an overall record of 151-113 with the Pack, finishing 69-84 in ACC play. His teams earned three NCAA Tournament bids during his time in Raleigh.

A national search for NC State’s next head coach will begin immediately.

And here is what Keatts had to say…

pic.twitter.com/0RR2DRBv7T

— Kevin Keatts (@CoachKeattsNCSU) March 9, 2025

If you’re wondering how Keatts, after winning the ACC Tournament and taking the Pack to the Final Four just one year ago, could be relived of his duties here is what we wrote yesterday…

In two of the last four years, Keatts’ teams have recorded win totals of 12 and 11.

That’s historically bad.

How bad, you ask?

Prior to the 2024-25 and 2021-22 seasons, the last time NC State produced a 12-win season was in 1994-95, when Les Robinson led the Pack to a 12-15 overall record.

The last time the Wolfpack had two seasons with 12 and 11 wins within a four-year span?

1993-94 and 1994-95, when Les Robinson led NC State to 11 wins and 12 wins.

This year, NC State didn’t win a single game away from home, going 0-11 in away games, and 0-2 in games played at a neutral site.

That’s despicable.

When was the last time that NC State lost all of their away games?

1978-79, when the Wolfpack went 0-6 in away games.

And when was the last time NC State lost every game away from home?

It was in 1959-60 when the Wolfpack went 0-7 in away games and 0-3 on neutral courts.

The truth is, the writing was on the wall. Keatts was unable to parlay a historic run into much of anything. They ended up with a worse roster, finished near last in the ACC and missed the conference tournament. If you thought NIL money was down this past year (which was on the heels of a Final Four run), how do you think it will look after this season? And if you don’t have NIL, then you don’t have players, and if you don’t have players, you don’t win games and if you don’t win games, you’re just delaying the inevitable.

Even though he had just hung two banners, NC State’s hands were tied. It was going to cost them more in the long term to keep Keatts, than to fire him.

An early name to watch for as Keatts’ replacement is Will Wade.

One name that is expected to be in the mix for the NC State opening is McNeese State’s Will Wade, source told @TheFieldOf68.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 9, 2025

Sources at the time told us that Debbie Yow was about to drive down to offer Wade prior to hiring Keatts, but there were questions if he was holding out for the Clemson job at the time (he started as a student manager there). With Keatts being a hot name, and the chance of missing on both Wade and Keatts was there, the decision was made to take the certain option and hire Keatts.

Will Wade had success at VCU prior to going to LSU and found more success before getting caught up in ‘paying players’ scandal. Now it’s the Wild West with NIL and Wade is back, this time with McNeese State where he has an insane 57 wins over TWO years.

We’ll have a ton more coming up!