The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/811149
MAY 2017 ■ 31 "Coach Keatts is his own guy. He is all about having relationships with his players. If you have relationships with your players, they will play hard for you. They always played hard for him at Hargrave and at UNC Wilmington." The Recruiter Keatts will need time to mold his roster, but his extensive recruiting contacts from his days at Hargrave and Louisville should ease the transition. That prep background particularly makes him different from other coaches who have succeeded at the mid- major level. Keatts had to find 15 players nearly every year at Hargrave, compared to just a few while in the college ranks. He has already landed his first Rivals.com NC State has taken different paths in hiring men's basketball coaches in the past. New Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts is from the more traditional "up-and-coming" path, due in part to his recent three-year run of success at North Carolina Wilmington. He also was an accomplished assistant coach at Louisville, where he helped the Cardi - nals win the 2013 NCAA national title and go to the Final Four the year before. His extensive background in forming teams at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., has helped give him an extensive rolodex for recruiting. Below is a breakdown of the last eight NC State coaches' résumés before taking the post as the Pack's leader. All records and statistics given are as a head coach only: Everett Case (NC State head coach from 1946-64) Hired from: Case was hired after leaving the Navy in 1946. However, he was one of the most successful prep coaches in Indiana state history before joining the military in 1941. He led Frankfort (Ind.) High to a 726-75 (.906) record and four state titles (1925, 1929, 1936 and 1939) while serving as the school's coach for 23 years. Press Maravich (1964-66) Hired from: Clemson University in 1962 to be an assistant to his former coach, Case. Maravich was the Clemson head coach before taking the top assistant post at NC State and was elevated to head coaching duties when Case's health deteriorated and he was forced to retire. NCAA appearances when hired: 0 20-win seasons when hired: 0 Overall college record when hired: 106-127 (.455) Overall conference record when hired: 25-59 (.298) — includes conference record only from his time as Clemson's head coach. Norm Sloan (1966-80) Hired from: The University of Florida in 1966. NCAA appearances when hired: 0 20-win seasons when hired: 2 (Presbyterian — 1951-52, 1954-55) Overall college record when hired: 211-137 (.606) Overall conference record when hired: 95-69 (.579) Jim Valvano (1980-90) Hired from: Iona College in 1980. NCAA appearances when hired: 2 (Iona — 1978-79, 1979-80) Best NCAA finish: Reached the second round (1979-80) 20-win seasons when hired: 2 (1978-79, 1979-80) Overall college record when hired: 137-96 (.588) Overall conference record when hired: 20-20 (.500) — includes his stints at Johns Hopkins and Bucknell. Iona played as an independent under Valvano. Les Robinson (1990-96) Hired from: East Tennessee State University in 1990. NCAA appearances when hired: 2 (ETSU — 1988-89, 1989-90) Best NCAA finish: Never made it out of the first round 20-win seasons when hired: 3 (The Citadel — 1978-79; East Tennessee State — 1988-89, 1989-90) Overall college record when hired: 213-232 (.479) Overall conference record when hired: 102-134 (.432) Herb Sendek (1996-2006) Hired from: Miami (Ohio) University in 1996. NCAA appearances when hired: 1 (Miami [Ohio] — 1994-95) Best NCAA finish: Reached the second round (1994-95) 20-win seasons when hired: 2 (Miami [Ohio] — 1994-95, 1995-96) Overall college record when hired: 63-26 (.708) Overall conference record when hired: 40-14 (.741) Sidney Lowe (2006-11) Hired from: Lowe was serving as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons when he took the job in 2006. The former national champion point guard for the Pack served as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves (1993-94) and the Vancouver/ Memphis Grizzlies (2000-02) before coming to the college game as a coach for the first time. Overall NBA record as head coach: 79-228 (.257) Mark Gottfried (2011-2017) Hired from: Gottfried was working as an analyst for ESPN when he took the Pack's head job. He had previously served as the leader at Murray State (1995-98) and Alabama (1998-2009). NCAA appearances when hired: 7 (Murray State — 1996-97, 1997-98; Alabama — 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06) Best NCAA finish: Reached the Elite Eight (2003-04) at Alabama 20-win seasons when hired: 7 (Murray State — 1996-97, 1997-98; Alabama — 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07) Overall college record when hired: 278-155 (.642) Overall conference record when hired: 123-94 (.567) Kevin Keatts Hired from: UNC Wilmington in 2017 NCAA appearances when hired: 2 (UNCW — 2015-16, 2016-17) Best NCAA finish: Never made it out of the first round 20-win seasons when hired: 2 (UNCW — 2015-16, 2016-17) Overall college record when hired: 72-28 (.720) Overall conference record when hired: 41-13 (.759) — Ryan Tice Kevin Keatts Brings Different Background To NC State Keatts won at least a share of the regular season Colonial Athletic Association title all three years he was the head coach at UNC Wilm- ington and captured the CAA Tournament crown twice. PHOTO COURTESY UNC WILMINGTON