Kevin Keatts excited to take NC State basketball to Bahamas

NC State basketball coach Kevin Keatts understands that his team will be playing an underdog-type role going into the 2022-23 season. As Keatts quipped, “When hasn’t NC State been the underdog?”
But Keatts acknowledges the given.

“We had a really bad year last year,” he noted. “It’s my job as a coach to fix that.”

The process for rebuilding the NC State basketball program for Keatts begins Saturday, when the squad travels to the Bahamas for a team trip. Two games are planned in addition to fun activities, such as snorkeling, going to a lazy river and also experience some water slides.

NC State then will be back in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving as part of the annual Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. The Pack opens against defending national champion Kansas on Nov. 23, a noon tip on ESPN.

Having a chance to play on the same floor of what will be three important non-conference games for NC State was a motivating factor for Keatts’ decision to head to the Bahamas. More important, perhaps, is getting a team that when fully completed will feature four new transfers, a pair of freshmen and a junior who redshirted last winter after transferring in to gel.

Keatts recalled in his first season an overseas trip did a lot of good for the team bonding.

“I thought it was so great because we were able to come together as a team,” Keatts noted. “For me it’s just more than the opportunity to play. … It’s good for our guys to come along and be able to grow together as a team.”

Not every player will be on the trip, however. Utah transfer Dusan Mahorcic, who Keatts noted has been with NC State basketball for about a week, will not travel. Redshirt junior forward Greg Gantt, who aforementioned redshirt last year, recently strained his left thumb and while he will travel, will not play in the two scheduled exhibitions.

Recently committed forward Mady Traoré has not officially joined the team, either. Keatts could not comment on Traore because of that, but he, like Mahorcic, will not be in the Bahamas.

The upheaval of the roster is not unique to NC State basketball nor uncommon, and the trend is part of the reason why Keatts is especially grateful to have an opportunity to take this trip this year.

“I bet a lot of coaches around the country wish it was their opportunity because there are so many different pieces on most of the rosters,” Keatts noted. “When you look at our league, I think the only two teams that got everybody back or most of them back are [North] Carolina and UVa. For the most part, I think most people have at least four or five different pieces to their roster.

“For me, I think it’s more so this is what the future is going to look like, and we all are going to have to adjust as coaches.”

Thus far, Keatts has liked what he has seen from the three transfers who have been on campus longest — Winthrop forward DJ Burns, La Salle forward Jack Clark and Ole Miss guard Jarkel Joiner.

Keatts noted that Joiner has the capability of playing both backcourt positions.

“He’s been a big leader,” Keatts added about Joiner. “He’s had a big voice in the locker room and on the floor.

“I know DJ Burns is really good. One of the areas that we struggled in was to score the ball inside, and he certainly is a guy who can put the ball in the hole. Jack Clark at 6-8, 6-9 is kind of a three/four. He can really shoot the ball outside and do some stuff at that position.”

Keatts also likes how the transition for the NC State newcomers have gone. The team grade point average in the summer was around 3.1, Keatts was pleased to add.

“You just don’t know when you bring in so many pieces from different areas,” Keatts confessed. “The attitudes have been great. They are picking up stuff a lot quicker.”