A Mediocre Men's Basketball Program at Best?
Is NC State coach Kevin Keates on the hot-seat in a era of short-lived college basketball player careers at the same school?
What? Me worry? (That’s NC State coach Kevin Keatts)
It’s Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Last night NC State’s men’s basketball team fell behind early, trailing 55-40 at halftime, still had a chance to beat Syracuse at the end of the game but lost to a hot shooting Orange which hit 51 percent of its field goals including 60 percent of its 3-point attempts (9 of 15), sending the Wolfpack’s record to 16-10 overall and 8-7 a tie for 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
With five league games remaining and the ACC tournament, the Wolfpack probably has to win out (or just the ACC Tournament) to have any chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Remaining on the schedule are home games with Boston College and Duke and games at Florida State, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh. On the surface, the future of this team, at least this season, doesn’t appear too encouraging to the fans.
Right now, even at 5th in the ACC, it’s another mediocre, at best, season. Don’t get me wrong. It’s an exciting team, but mediocre results so far. At best, look for a five game sweep and a 13-7 ACC record. At the other end, it could be a disaster and an 8-12 ACC mark. What’s your best guess?
Tale of two basketball coaches
In the most recent JIM TALK! (Tale of two basketball coaches) prior to today’s JIM TALK!, we compared two college basketball coaches and asked our readers to put themselves in the athletics director’s role in hiring one or the other, to make a choice based on overall and conference records, post season play, and various accolades for each.
So, in reporting the results, one of the two was chosen by 63 percent of those who voted and the other received 38 percent of the votes. That’s 101 percent, not possible except voting percentages were rounded up.
Elsewhere, near the end of today’s issue of JIM TALK!, you will learn the names of the two coaches and which is Coach A and which is Coach B and to which the percentages are applied.
A Mediocre Men's Basketball Program at Best?
Here are a few stats about Wolfpack basketball under current head coach Kevin Keatts. This is not to do or die, this is just to offer reasons why?
Bottom line, NC State men’s basketball under Keatts may be exciting with its fast pace but in the Atlantic Coast Conference the program is average and mediocre at best. You’ll see why as you read on.
When Keatts was hired prior to the 2017-18 season, a member of the UNC-Wilmington athletics staff issued high praises of Keatts, his work ethic, his coaching ability, his recruiting efforts, and his personality. “NC State is getting a real winner,” the staff member told me.
In his first year, taking over for Mark Gottfried whose Wolfpack men’s basketball team in his last season was 15-17 overall and 1-14 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (13th place), Keatts inherited a group of returning players that accounted for only 45 percent of minutes played and 37 percent of the scoring in the 2016-17 season.
Keatts hit the recruiting trails looking for high school seniors, graduate transfers, and any others he could convince to play at NC State as soon as possible. According to the website Sports-Reference.com, Keatts lost seven players from Gottfried’s lineup and added eight players. It turned out to be an improvement.
The 2017-18 season gave the Wolfpack fans something to cheer about, an overall record of 21-12, an ACC mark of 11-7 (3rd in the league), and a berth in the NCAA Tournament which the Wolfpack missed the previous two years under Gottfried.
The future for the Wolfpack under Keatts, on the surface, looked good. But, when you study yearly records, NC State has been mediocre, in the middle of the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference under Keatts:
2017-18: 21-12 overall; 11-7 ACC (3rd)
2018-19: 24-12 overall; 9-9 ACC (8th)
2019-20: 20-12 overall; 10-10 ACC (6th)
2020-21: 14-11 overall; 9-8 ACC (9th)
2121-22: 11-21 overall; 4-16 ACC (15th, last)
2022-23: 23-11 overall; 12-8 ACC (6th)
2023-24: 16-10 overall; 8-7 ACC (three-way tie at 5th) as of Feb 21
TOTALS: 129-89 overall; 63-65 ACC as of Feb 21
AVERAGE PLACE IN THE ACC: a little worse than 7th (7.42) as of Feb 21
POST-SEASON: Twice in the NCAA field of 64; twice in the NIT (not exactly knocking down the doors with accomplishments)
For Wolfpack basketball, with it’s history in the early years of the ACC, and it’s two NCAA championships, the men’s basketball program, under Keatts, is disappointing, to say the least. Mediocre is a good description of the program under Keatts. Exciting? Yes! Mediocre, average (compared to the rest the ACC)? Yes! The records prove it.
Last time NC State finished first in the ACC regular season was in 1988-89. Last time the Wolfpack won the ACC Tournament was in in 1987. The drought continues.
When today’s JIM TALK! was started, though, it was not to bash coach Keatts or the program. It was to show how college basketball has changed through the movement of players from team to team to get either more playing time or better name, image, and likeness endorsements and money, the root of all evil, as “they” say.
Players these days come across as being greedy except for a select few who are high level basketball players and feel where they are at their best fit for a possible run to the NCAA title but, more importantly, because the money being offered where they are is as good as it’ll get.
On the other hand, coaches can be greedy as well, asking for contract extensions and salary increases on a whim, convincing athletics directors, chancellors, presidents, and board of trustees and the like that they are as good as the University can get. “Stay the course with longer contracts and pay increases and we’ll get the job done,” the coaches say. And it is done, much of the time.
If interested, go to the website sporkskeeda to learn more about Keatts net worth and salary (https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-basketball/kevin-keatts-net-worth-salary-contract). The information therein has not been confirmed by JIM TALK! but it is an interesting read.
So, now back to the players.
According to the website sports-reference.com, including this year’s Wolfpack roster, there have been 93 names on NC State’s roster with Keatts as the head coach, but only 54 unique names. To break that down:
3 players for 4 seasons (can you name the three players?)
9 players for 3 seasons
12 players for 2 seasons
30 players for 1 season (eight of the 30 are on the roster of the 2023-24 team. Some can return next season; some cannot.)
In other words, since the liberal transfer rule of the transfer portal, players come and go as they wish but also as the coaches wish as Keatts and staff seek the right combination to a hurried success. This method is not establishing a solid program and only a few college programs can exist successfully with the one (or two) and done methods. NC State doesn’t seem to be among that elite group.
So, what’s an AD to do?
Recent news coming from the NC State Board of Trustees: Athletics Director Boo Corrigan has received a new contract and a substantial pay increase and will remain the Wolfpack’s AD at least through June 2029. He has done a lot great things for Wolfpack athletics and is to be congratulated for the successes and efforts. Of course he has a huge staff to help him. There are at least 27 staff members with the title Athletics Director. Wow!
What’s to be seen is what Corrigan does to improve the Wolfpack men’s basketball program, seeking a better level for that sport. Not sure how, but he has many options. The University and the fans deserve better than an average men’s basketball program.
Which coach would you hire?
In the last JIM TALK!, we compared two coaches and their records, accomplishments, and accolades and asked the readers to choose one over the other. The results of a simple poll showed “Coach A” selected by 38 percent of the voters and “Coach B” picked by 63 percent of the voters. So who are they?:
Coach A: Jim Valvano (38%). Valvano’s teams averaged placing 4th in the ACC. Seven of his Wolfpack teams went to the NCAA Tournament, winning one title, making the elite eight twice, and the sweet 16 once. He coached the Wolfpack when there were 64 teams in the NCAA.
Coach B: Norm Sloan (63%). Sloan’s teams averaged placing just under 3rd (2.78) in the ACC. Three of his teams made the NCAA Tournament, winning the title once, placing third in the NCAA regional once, and to the second round once. He coached the Wolfpack when the NCAA field was limited to 16 to 32 teams.
Sum Up!
So, is NC State coach Kevin Keatts on the hot seat? And what’s the temperature? Just food for thought. Your comments are always welcome.
To read about the 1974 NCAA Championship Wolfpack basketball team, go to: 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack's Title Run