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Kevin Keatts reveals pitch to incoming NC State transfers

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•06/14/23
Kevin Keatts, NC State Wolfpack basketball coach
NC State coach Kevin Keatts looks on as his team goes through a practice before an NCAA Tournament game on March 16, 2023. (Michael Ciaglo / USA TODAY Sports)

The transfer portal has changed the way college basketball coaches build their rosters and few coaches know that better than NC State‘s Kevin Keatts, who was the beneficiary of a handful of some top-notch incoming NC State transfers during the 2022-23 season.

Four of NC State’s top six scorers were transfers.

That level of success for transfers has made life a lot easier on Keatts when pitching other potential incoming NC State transfers.

“I think my pitch is different,” Keatts explained. “With our guards you think about the guards that we lost. Between the two of those guys they averaged 17.0 and 17.9, so around almost 35 points a game. So we do have that selling point for guards that’s coming in.”

One of those two guards, Jarkel Joiner, was a transfer himself. Joiner arrived by way of Ole Miss and finished as NC State’s second leading scorer at 17.0 points per game.

He had a huge impact as an incoming NC State transfer, also contributing 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game as the Wolfpack reached the NCAA Tournament.

Now Keatts and his staff are searching for some of the next potential additions that could bolster the roster and help NC State make a repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 and 2015.

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The now seventh-year NC State head coach joked that he has a lot more to sell after the season his squad just had.

“I didn’t realize this till after the season, but I should have known that Jarkel took 13 shots and Terquavion Smith took 16,” Keatts said. “So 29 shots, so who wouldn’t want to play for me at the guard position?

“I’ve turned into a great post coach. I didn’t really become that great post coach until we played at Wake Forest and then we threw the ball inside 27 times. So now I’m well-rounded. I grew. And so now I can sell a post guy that we’re going to get him the basketball and I can also tell the guards that they’re going to be able to play.”

Keatts has already done considerable work securing incoming NC State transfers this go-round. The Wolfpack have welcomed seven new transfers in, including North Carolina A&T’s Kam Woods (17.3 PPG), Samford’s Jayden Taylor (12.9 PPG) and Arizona State‘s DJ Horne (12.5 PPG).