Richmond game was ugly…Wright State? Somehow worse.
But to all those yelling at the top of their lungs, save it….because Keatts isn’t going to be fired.
Reasons He Stays
First and foremost, State just went through the longest process ever to clean the mess Gottfried and company left. There is no way that this administration goes, “Cleared that huge hurdle, now let’s fire our current coach.”
It’s not happening.
There is a 1000% chance we lost out on recruits because of Adidas-gate. And yet, Keatts was able to get commitments from total studs. Granted, it’s yet to be seen whether any will step on campus, but Dillingham seems to be trending nicely.
As crazy as it sounds, Keatts is stable, even if the team’s performance is not. You really think Boo has it in him to fire Keatts? That’s what we thought.
Furthermore, these last few years have been an absolute disaster of events. The previously mentioned “straight to NBA” recruits, COVID timing, injuries to best players…it hasn’t been good. If the wheels fall off in the next three months, we’ll revisit, but the sense is that Keatts has to at least have a full, healthy team before they decide whether he’s the right guy.
And he actually has help across campus.
Doeren had articles written about him and a loud contingent of WPN, stating he was on the hot seat coming into the 2021 season. Guess what, he turned everything around. Having him take his time and bring success to the program gives Keatts more of a leash, as well.
Circle Late March
Are we happy right now? Especially these last two games? Absolutely not. They’ve been disasters, in more ways than one.
Which is why Vonwolf typed out this thought piece. We knew dark days were ahead. However, we thought the runway to the cliff was a bit longer.
We have a senior in Hellems that disappears too often. Hayes is not ready to be an ACC point guard. The freshmen are fun to watch, but need to develop. Oh, and not sure if you heard, Manny and Gantt are done for the year.
The list grows more worrisome, if coaching doesn’t step in. State knows what they have for a roster. Keatts and company have to find ways to improve and adjust.
That hasn’t happened.
But the biggest issue recently? Effort. You could hang your hat on the fact that this team was going all out. Maybe they were too focused on the rapidly approaching Holiday break, but State was nowhere remotely close to being mentally prepared for Wright State. Sad performance, sad effort, bad coaching.
If players don’t show effort and the fans voices grow louder, then March becomes a very important time for Boo, the Athletic Department and Keatts.
There needs to be changes made, just a matter if that’s funding for better assistant pool or the man himself. At this very moment…we think the former, but the latter will be much louder.
