NC State fires Kevin Keatts just one year after Cinderella Final Four run
What a difference a year makes.N.C.
State fired head basketball coach Kevin Keatts on Sunday — just one season after he led the Wolfpack to their first Final Four appearance since 1983.The Wolfpack struggled mightily this year, finishing 12-19 and 5-15 in the ACC and failing to even qualify for the conference tournament, meaning there will be no chance at another Cinderella run.“The last eight years have been a come true,, and I will always cherish my time being a part of the Raleigh community,” Keatts wrote in a statement posted on X.
“… I am extremely proud of what we accomplished during my time here.Prior to my first season, the NCAA informed us that we were being investigated due to the actions of the prior staff.
We were able to guide the program through five years of investigations and penalties and came out on the other side with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and for the first time in 37 and 40 years, an ACC Championship and trip to the Final Four.“As we enter this new era of college sports, I wholeheartedly believe that I am leaving the program in better position to succeed than when I started — and that the basketball program will continue to thrive when supported to the level necessary to compete.” N.C.
State had ended the 2023-24 regular season on a four-game losing streak and entered the ACC tournament as the No.10 seed, but subsequently won five games in five days to win the tournament and earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It marked the Wolfpack’s first conference title win since 1987, which came under legendary coach Jim Valvano.Keatts then led the Wolfpack to wins over Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette and Duke to reach the Final Four before losing to Purdue.
Keatts, 52, was in charge for eight seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament three times.He finished his tenure in Raleigh, N.C.
with a 151-113 overall record and a 69-84 record in the conference.“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his ...