Kevin Keatts congratulates Jarkel Joiner on becoming a father

The vibes are immaculate for NC State and star guard Jarkel Joiner at the moment.

While the Wolfpack took care of business against Miami on Saturday, Joiner was playing for more than just a regular old victory. Speaking with the media afterwards, NC State leader Kevin Keatts revealed that Joiner became a father prior to the game, congratulating him to begin his post-game press conference.

“I don’t know if you guys have congratulated Jarkel, but he is a daddy now,” started Keatts. “I don’t know if I should be telling you that, but he is. There’s a Jarkel Jr. that was born yesterday. There was an opportunity — we didn’t know if he was going to make the game today. He got back at like midnight last night and played the game. So he was able to be there for the birth of his child, and was able to make it back.

“He was playing with a heavy heart as a proud new daddy.”

There was no slowing down Joiner on Saturday, as the NC State star led all players with 43 minutes played. During his time on the court, he amassed 11 points, three assists, three rebounds and a steal.

It took overtime, but Joiner and NC State captured their third straight victory on the season against the Hurricanes, advancing their record to 14-4 on the season. Now, Joiner can take a couple of days to be with his family, as the Wolfpack don’t play again until Tuesday against Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets haven’t been anything to write home about this season, so it’s a prime opportunity for Keatts’ squad to notch another conference win.

Time will tell if NC State is about to keep the pedal to the metal, and a lot of it depends on Jarkel Joiner — as long as he continues to serve as the leader of the squad, there shouldn’t be anyone betting against the Wolfpack.