Joel Justus leaves Arizona State for NC State

Former Kentucky basketball assistant Joel Justus is on the move once again, this time returning home to North Carolina.

Just one year after joining Bobby Hurley’s staff at Arizona State in May of 2021, Justus will now take his coaching talents to North Carolina State under Kevin Keatts.

Travis Branham of 247Sports was the first to report the news, with Justus since changing his social media accounts to reflect the move.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts is hiring Arizona State’s top assistant Joel Justus as an assistant coach, a source told @247Sports.

Justus, a native of Winston-Salem, has deep recruiting ties dating back to his high school coaching days in the Hoops State.

— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) June 8, 2022

Justus, a native of Winston-Salem, graduated from UNC Wilmington back in 2004. He then joined the Elon University (NC) coaching staff as an assistant from 2004-08. After a stint at Woodberry Forest School (VA) from 2008-12, he returned to North Carolina for two years to coach at Davidson Day High School (NC).

Justus joined the Kentucky staff in 2014-15 as the director of analytics before being elevated to special assistant to the head coach in 2015-16. He was then promoted to assistant coach in 2016-17, where he held the role through the 2020-21 season.

“It is hard for me to believe that my time at Kentucky has come to an end,” Justus said in a release. “The memories I have of this place, the players I have been fortunate enough to coach and form lifelong relationships with, and the honor I have had to coach at the winningest program in college basketball is something I will never take for granted. It has been the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“I want to make sure we all recognize that we are losing someone who was a big, big part of all our success over the last several years,” John Calipari said of Justus. “From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Keldon Johnson to Immanuel Quickley and others, Joel was not only the point guy with some of our players who became special, he helped develop them, teach them and challenge them. Joel is one of the top young assistants in the country who I believe will make a heck of a head coach someday soon. I wish him the best and I will always be a great supporter of his.”

Justus was instrumental in recruiting the likes of Brandon Boston Jr., Keldon Johnson, Immanuel Quickley, Bryce Hopkins and Ashton Hagans to Lexington, along with developing the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey and Tyler Herro at the guard positions. The Athletic and ESPN both tabbed Justus as one of the top 40 coaches in college basketball under 40 years old in 2020.

Now, after one year with the Sun Devils, Justus is heading home to coach in North Carolina.