The defensive concerns are (somewhat) overblown

3/19/2017 12:13:06 AM

I'm not too concerned, but I'm curious why you felt the need to post that they're overblown then felt the need to walk that back with (somewhat)

3/19/2017 12:45:14 AM

To be fair, I think UNCW should hire Gottfried.

3/19/2017 1:41:37 AM

His scheme isnt bad if you really dive into whats going on with it and his first two years werent a problem for his level of competition. The only reason his defense was poor this year is because his team allowed a near D-1 worst 2 point FG%, which just doesnt seem like it's something that will be the case every year given that didnt happen in the first two years and it's unlikely to me that he's going to be starting 6'7 Centers at NC State.

I qualified it because of course it is at some level a concern but I like the idea of turnovers + limiting 3s as your base scheme. If he can figure out rim protection he'd essentially be doing the same thing Mike White does

3/19/2017 2:10:34 AM

i'm not happy about how many points virginia put on them

3/19/2017 12:55:27 PM

10 more than their season average isn't enough to get worried about

way too small of a sample size

3/19/2017 1:09:37 PM

doing a good job with the press conference

3/19/2017 1:15:16 PM

he said Abu will probably lead the nation in dunks next year

+1 credibility

3/19/2017 1:37:12 PM

Good job with the press conference. My favorite part is he said he was going to personally oversee the player development/training and they were going to be in shape and play hard.

3/19/2017 1:39:04 PM

That presser was great. Very happy with this hire.

3/19/2017 1:39:13 PM

http://www.gopack.com/watch/?Archive=5821&type=Archive

for some reason they left 10 minutes worth of nothing in the video but here it is nonetheless

3/19/2017 3:21:43 PM

Talked about discipling people with extra 6am workouts...and that he would have to be there to oversee them.

Love it.

3/19/2017 3:46:20 PM

Called Anya a disgusting fat body.

+1 Credibility

3/19/2017 3:54:20 PM

^lol

3/19/2017 4:02:39 PM

Fucking killed it

PLAY SO HARD

3/19/2017 4:04:55 PM

Watched the press conference

Full chub/koolaid consumed status for me now

3/19/2017 4:13:15 PM

I get the impression that Gottfried wasn't really around the team all that much.

Things to be excited about with Keatts:
- Play hard for the entire game
- Personal involvement
- Conditioning
- Accountability
- Academics
- Unique scheme that's tough to play against
- Scheme that is fun to watch
- Wants to recruit guys that fit the system, not just big names
- Family mentality
- Aggressive, full court defense
- Carries himself and speaks very well
- Involved with the community
- Respectable (not a philandering scumbag)

Looking back to the UVA game - he ran with a 6-man rotation. Those dudes played balls to the wall for the entire game on both sides of the ball and throughout the season created a ton of turnovers with that scheme. Imagine that with the high caliber, athletic, and taller guys that we have and we recruit in the ACC. Now imagine that with a deeper bench to work with so that you aren't relying on that [excellent] conditioning nearly as much.

Very, very excited to see what he does in the next couple of months. He also has a top 10 salary pool for assistants, so hopefully if the defense is a concern, he gets guys in there to coach that up.

3/19/2017 4:42:24 PM

Players' first impressions

http://www.scout.com/college/north-carolina-state/story/1764164-video-pack-players-talk-keatts-hiring

3/19/2017 5:38:54 PM

"They love him already... not even spending an hour with him, they love him to death."

This was Kirk's reply when asked about how the team feels about Keatts.

3/19/2017 5:56:46 PM

Kirk already calling the team "they."

Not a good sign.

3/19/2017 5:59:54 PM

I'm pretty sure Kirk was heavily recruited by UNCW, thus is more familiar with Keatts than the rest of the team. He would be the last one to transfer.

3/19/2017 6:20:51 PM

Kirk already knew Keatts and was recruited by him. so he already had an opinion of Keatts. the rest of the team "they" didn't know him. y'all might be reading too much into that.

or maybe Kirk's transferring...which wouldn't have really been a surprise anyways

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 6:21 PM. Reason : ^yup, beat me to it]

3/19/2017 6:21:31 PM

^^^ did you even watch the interview? That wasn't the context at all, he already established he liked him/had a report question was about the rest of the team and their reactions. Obviously players will have to decide next few weeks but he seemed positive and excited...

3/19/2017 6:42:05 PM

me watching the press conference:

3/19/2017 6:43:31 PM

It's a joke, you philistines.

3/19/2017 6:47:33 PM

I liked the presser. Im slowly coming around.

3/19/2017 7:25:22 PM

Can't wait to watch. I know dude didn't say anything about Anya.

3/19/2017 7:30:01 PM

Where's the disgusting fat body comment?

3/19/2017 7:32:39 PM

nah the anya thing was a joke.

3/19/2017 7:33:50 PM

"Meet me after the presser." - Anya

3/19/2017 7:36:28 PM

"meet me in the atrium" - anya

3/19/2017 7:43:57 PM

This is how rumors get started...

3/19/2017 8:28:24 PM

"At last we have the mighty Chewbacca" - Anya

3/19/2017 8:33:53 PM

Quote :

"Carries himself and speaks very well"

3/19/2017 8:38:13 PM

so far so good, he said all the right things. Definitely has the swagger we all wanted in a coach. He is good at painting a vision and getting buy in (as evident in the press conference), you can see why he has a reputation as a good recruiter.

I am looking forward to seeing what he can do.

3/19/2017 8:44:46 PM

I sat behind the bench for one of their games 2-3 years ago and it was pretty nuts how intense he was.

Like he is not the guy to fuck with on the sidelines. Left a good impression.

We always seem to get the semi motivated, skate by on your talent guys like Marcus Melvin, Cam Benner man, CJ Leslie, etc.

We really need someone who can match the intensity and focus that programs like duke and unc have. This lackadaisical crap had killed us for the past decade.

Herb might not have been intense but he was nuanced, sophisticated, and methodical.

This guy is a LOT more emotional than Herb but with a similar attentiveness to detail.

I'd be shocked if our teams don't play HARD instead of this Sidney Deane shit we've been doing

He's the kind of dude that won't hesitate to yank lack of effort

[Edited on March 19, 2017 at 11:52 PM. Reason : A]

3/19/2017 11:43:56 PM

Oh shit a White Men Can't Jump reference. face for assistant coach.

Good press conference. Players seem excited and love the hire. Hopefully KK can convince most to stay.

3/20/2017 12:06:46 AM

Tree won the Anya thing holy shit

3/20/2017 12:29:15 AM

From PP:

"I have sat through a few Keatts practices.
He usually creates three "teams" and runs them against each other, each looking for the best record in a best of tournament. They aren't playing for a score of say 5 at one time, they are playing only THAT score. First to score wins, the other team goes to the sideline. The team not on the court is doing pushups or suicides on the sideline waiting to play. Whoever gets maybe five baskets total wins. When a team gives up a basket, they have to sprint off the floor and the other team inbounds and tries to get a quick score off the break.
Also, he will stop a game in progress if a player makes a mistake and give a quick correction then play restarts. There are no long admonitions or explanations, so the players don't get a rest during these corrections. And, Keatts or any coach can step in and make the correction. If a player makes a serious mistake, he makes the correction and replaces them, when they come off the court they run suicides.
You never see a bunch of players standing around watching coaches talk. When they take breaks, the coaches are talking to each other about what they saw on the court.
If you see this, you see why he says our players are the best conditioned in America."


I love the sound of this. There is no reason for guys to be huffing and puffing halfway through 2nd half (sometimes 1st half). We have the means to have the best conditioned athletes in the country, it's time we start showing it.


[Edited on March 20, 2017 at 9:41 AM. Reason : asf]

3/20/2017 9:41:13 AM

Quote :

"Only assistant he should keep is Early. "

My cleaning lady also cleans the Early's house. She said their house is already up for sale, and Orlando's wife is expecting to have to move for another job, though they would happily stay at State if the offer was presented.

#sources

3/20/2017 9:43:13 AM

^^that is awesome.

^and yes I definitely hope we keep Early. He's a hell of a recruiter and the players seem to really love him.

3/20/2017 9:47:42 AM

Quote :

" Respectable (not a philandering scumbag)"

What was his role in Stripper-gate at Louisville?

3/20/2017 9:49:43 AM

Yeah i have zero desire to keep any assistants associated with the previous regime.

3/20/2017 9:59:29 AM

^^ pitino is pushing that there is no way he could have known, and that may be the same for his assistants. NCAA has interviewed all assistants already, but I guess they haven't made any ruling yet.

Quote :

"In the Notice of Allegations, the NCAA found McGee knowingly gave student-athletes impermissible and extra benefits in the form of “cash, adult entertainment and sex acts in Billy Minardi Hall to at least 17 then men’s basketball prospective and/or current student-athletes, two then nonscholastic men’s basketball coaches and one then men’s basketball prospective student-athlete’s friend."

Quote :

"Many of the young men who knew about the illicit activities explained that they deliberately did not tell Pitino or his assistant coaches about the strip shows because they knew Pitino would be very upset and would impose serious consequences"

3/20/2017 10:09:08 AM

Quote :

"^ not sure if serious. That news was all over twitter yesterday and was discussed a bunch in the coaching search thread here too. If true, it makes Sean look like a little bitch."

Why would he be a little bitch if he takes the UNC job in the future? That is one of the best jobs in America. He didn't play at NC State.

3/20/2017 10:45:23 AM

^i think people are saying Sean would have been a "little bitch" for advising Archie to not take the State job because Sean wants the UNC job. but it doesn't matter anymore.

3/20/2017 11:00:59 AM

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article139523373.html#emlnl=morning_newsletter

Quote :

""It was great. It was unreal, almost," sophomore Torin Dorn said. "It was like yesterday we didn't have a coach and then today this coach walk in with this big plan and this big vision and we're just all eyes, all ears, all into it.""

Quote :

"Keatts promised that his practices would be intense and not for the timid, causing Abu to laugh and say, "I'm already sore just from hearing him talk.""

3/20/2017 11:21:02 AM

^nice article.

http://www.scout.com/college/north-carolina-state/story/1764239-keatts-i-became-a-fan

Lots of great quotes in here

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/11352198/unc-wilmington-coach-kevin-keatts-explains-look-talent-evaluation

This is another really good article from 2014 about his recruiting philosophy.

[Edited on March 20, 2017 at 11:37 AM. Reason : ^]

3/20/2017 11:36:40 AM

Quote :

"From PP: "I have sat through a few Keatts practices. He usually creates three "teams" and runs them against each other, each looking for the best record in a best of tournament. They aren't playing for a score of say 5 at one time, they are playing only THAT score. First to score wins, the other team goes to the sideline. The team not on the court is doing pushups or suicides on the sideline waiting to play. Whoever gets maybe five baskets total wins. When a team gives up a basket, they have to sprint off the floor and the other team inbounds and tries to get a quick score off the break. Also, he will stop a game in progress if a player makes a mistake and give a quick correction then play restarts. There are no long admonitions or explanations, so the players don't get a rest during these corrections. And, Keatts or any coach can step in and make the correction. If a player makes a serious mistake, he makes the correction and replaces them, when they come off the court they run suicides. You never see a bunch of players standing around watching coaches talk. When they take breaks, the coaches are talking to each other about what they saw on the court. If you see this, you see why he says our players are the best conditioned in America." I love the sound of this. There is no reason for guys to be huffing and puffing halfway through 2nd half (sometimes 1st half). We have the means to have the best conditioned athletes in the country, it's time we start showing it."

This also mimics making changes, adapting, absorbing information in real games. Helps them be more comfortable in the heat of the moment.

3/20/2017 11:39:46 AM

Our guys, I told them, I said, "Don't take this stuff for granted. You've got some of the best facilities in college basketball... start playing like that."

What a mic drop comment to end the Q&A after the presser...

3/20/2017 11:55:26 AM