Kevin Keatts on the upcoming bounce-back season for NC State men's basketball
NC State men’s basketball practice starts Monday, and the Wolfpack are looking to rebound from last season’s last-place ACC finish. Head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media to discuss the program’s differences from last year, the new additions to the Pack and much more.
Keatts said he spends 2-3 weeks after each year evaluating the program’s year and looking at where the team could improve going into the next season. After doing so, he decided to turn the page on the 2021-22 season and focus on recruiting as hard as he could.
The Wolfpack went into the offseason with plenty of scholarship openings thanks to transfer portal and NBA draft departures. Keatts hit the recruiting trail and brought in four transfers who are all ready to contribute immediately.
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Multiple times during the interview, Keatts took full credit for last season and addressed how the team plans to improve moving forward.
“My job as the CEO of NC State basketball is to look at the entire program and see where I can help” Keatts said. “Obviously make sure that kids are in the best situation that they can be in, and that’s what we’ve done.”
NC State news and notes from coach Keatts’ press conference
- Terquavion Smith is back in Raleigh for a second season with the program, and the impact of his return can not be overstated. Keatts said the guard is working on becoming a better leader and can be a fantastic example for anyone on the Wolfpack practice court this season.
“He loves everything about NC State,” Keatts said during the press conference.
- During NC State’s trip to the Bahamas this summer, the Wolfpack used the opportunity to improve on the court, taking advantage of its 10 allotted practice sessions, while also using the trip as a bonding experience to help bring the team together.
- This is the first year in Keatts’ six-season tenure that the team has not had to worry about an active NCAA investigation. He discussed the impact losing scholarships can have on a basketball team, especially when NC State was decimated by injuries last year.
- Last year, the Wolfpack backcourt was super young. Keatts brought in Jarkel Joiner to help add experience to that group, and now there is a strong group of guards on NC State’s roster who have high-major college basketball experience.
- Keatts said Winthrop-transfer big man D.J. Burns might have been one of the most efficient big men in the country in terms of points-per-minute. He averaged 15 points-per-game in 21 minutes-per-game last year. The NC State head coach said that Burns is working extremely hard to get in-shape for the upcoming season, joking that he told the big man he will play all 40 minutes if he can.
