NC State has hired basketball coaches with diverse backgrounds over the years.
NC State coaching legend Everett Case was the athletic director for DePauw University in Indiana in 1943, and completed his time at Navy in 1946. He took over NC State basketball from 1946-1964 and went 377-134 with six SoCon championships and four ACC Tournament titles.
Press Maravich slid over one seat to replace Case in 1964, when latter suffered health issues two games into the season. Maravich had previously gone 55-96 at Clemson from 1956-62. Maravich went 38-13 in his two years at NC State, with one trip to the NCAA Tournament. He departed to LSU in 1966.
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Norm Sloan arrived from Florida in 1966. The NC State alum had gone 69-36 at Presbyterian in four years, and then 57-38 in four years at The Citadel.
The Gators went 85-63 overall and 48-40 in the SEC during his tenure in Gainesville from 1960-66.
Sloan went 266-127 overall and 103-77 in the ACC with three NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning the national title in 1974. Sloan returned to Florida in 1980-81.
The exiting of Sloan led to the arrival of Jim Valvano in 1980. Valvano had gone 33-42 overall at Bucknell from 1972-75, and then 94-45 at Iona from 1975-80, including two NCAA Tournament appearances his last two years.
Valvano got NC State into the NCAA Tournament in his second year, and won the national title in his third, 1983. He went 209-110 overall and 71-69 in the ACC from 1980-90, with seven trips to the Big Dance.
Les Robinson arrived with the difficult task of trying to win while under difficult NCAA sanctions, and school-related academic standards. Robinson had gone 132-162 overall at The Citadel from 1974-85, and then went 81-70 at East Tennessee State from 1985-90, with two trips to the NCAA Tournament in his last two years.
NC State reached the NCAA Tournament his first year, but then was under .500 the next five years. Robinson 78-98 overall and 28-66 in the ACC from 1990-96.
A very young Herb Sendek was hired from Miami (Ohio) in 1996 to replace Robinson. Sendek was a Rick Pitino protege, working with him at Kentucky. He went 63-26 and reached the NCAA Tournament once in three years at Miami (Ohio).
Sendek went 191-132 overall and 72-88 in the ACC during his 10 years at NC State. He reached the NCAA Tournament five times and the NIT Tournament in four years.
After a wild coaching search, NC State hired former star point guard Sidney Lowe from the NBA, where he was an assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons. Lowe had been a head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies during their early expansion years and went 79-228.
Lowe went 86-78 overall and 25-55 in the ACC, with two NIT Tournament appearances in his five years at NC State.
Then athletic director Debbie Yow ended up hiring Mark Gottfried out of the ESPN TV booth to replace Lowe. Gottfried had gone 68-24 with two trips to the NCAA Tournament at Murray State. He then was hired by his alma mater Alabama and coached the Crimson Tide from 1998-09. Gottfried went 210-131 overall and 83-82 in the SEC with five trips to the NCAA Tournament and three NIT appearances.
Gottfried took NC State to four NCAA Tournament appearances with two Sweet 16 trips in his six years at NC State. he went 123-86 overall and 48-58 in the ACC.
NC State turned to North Carolina-Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts to replace Gottfried. Keatts went 72-28 overall and went to the NCAA Tournament twice in his two years at UNCW.
Keatts made the NCAA Tournament his first year, and added two more appearances, including the magic run to the Final Four last year. The Wolfpack also went 20-12 in 2019-20 when COVID eliminated the postseason.
Keatts and NC State went 151-113 overall and 69-84 in the ACC.
NC State is looking at a variety of coaching candidates, but The Associated Press top 25 proves one thing — there is no similar path.
Some of the coaches were high major coaches, who made the move to their present squads. Some were fired and then rehired at new schools.
Assistant coaches sliding over one seat to become the head coach has been a popular path. Needless to say, several mid-major coaches also have moved up the ranks.
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