12/14/2018 basketball Edit

Kevin Keatts receives new six-year contract

Jacey Zembal • TheWolfpackCentral

Writer

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NC State head coach Kevin Keatts will be paid $2.7 million a year through 2023-2024. (Ken Martin/The Wolfpacker)

NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts was rewarded Friday for leading the Wolfpack to a 21-12 overall record and spot in the NCAA Tournament last year.

The NC State Board of Governors approved a new six-year contract, where he received a $400,000 raise to earn $2.7 million annually for his accomplishments in his first year. NCSU is off to a 8-1 start and plays Penn State on Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J.

Keatts' new term will run through the 2023-24 season. He originally signed a six-year agreement to become head coach of the Wolfpack in March 2017 and rolled over a year on his original contract by returning NC State to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season.

"My family and I are grateful to Chancellor Woodson and [athletic director] Debbie Yow for their commitment and for the opportunity to build on the foundation we've established here at NC State," Keatts said. "The NC State community has been so welcoming. I'm excited about what we're building and look forward to leading this program for many years to come."

The Wolfpack went 11-7 last year in the ACC, which was tied for third place in the league. The 11 conference wins are the most for a first-year head coach in program history and the third place finish was the highest regular season finish for NC State in the league since the 2003-04 team finished second. NC State bowed out of the NCAA Tournament with a 94-83 loss vs. Seton Hall in the first round.

"Coach Keatts has made a profound and immediate impact at NC State, and this contract reflects our commitment to his continued leadership," Yow said. "He values the academic success of his student-athletes, recruits at a high level, and runs his program with integrity. We're excited for the future of NC State men's basketball under Kevin's leadership.”

NC State hired Keatts after he had a successful three-year run at North Carolina-Wilmington, where the Seahawks reached the NCAA Tournament his last two years. The 2015-2016 squad gave Duke a battle in the first round before losing, and the 2016-2017 UNCW team challenged Virginia until the end.

Keatts, who coached at Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy from 1999-2001 and 2003-2011, only needed 142 college games to reach 100 victories, accomplishing the feat against Vanderbilt on Dec. 1 in Miami.