NC State hired Arizona State assistant coach Joel Justus to fill out its coaching staff.
The reworked group of assistants include Levi Watkins (Ole Miss), Kareem Richardson (Clemson) and Justus. The latter was a former player and graduate at North Carolina-Wilmington in 2004, and then was an assistant coach at Elon from 2004-08. Justus averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 assists per game in 116 contests at UNCW (16 starts). NC State coach Kevin Keatts was the coach at UNCW from 2014-17.
Justus was at Woodbury (Va.) Forest High from 2008-12, and then left for Davidson (N.C.) Day before getting his big break and getting hired at Kentucky in 2014. He used his Woodbury Forest connections to land future Kentucky and NC State signee Sacha Killeya-Jones of Chapel Hill, N.C., in the class of 2016.
Justus was originally hired as UK’s director of analytics where he analyzed player and team performance and used statistics and data to develop strategies through video.
Justus then became special assistant to the head coach for 2015-16 and eventually assistant coach, where he helped develop guards such as Ashtan Hagans, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro, Immanuel Quickly and Tyrese Maxey among others. Following the 2020-21 season, he parted ways at Kentucky.
Justus was hired at Arizona State and coach Bobby Hurley. Watkins has also previously worked for Hurley at ASU.
The Sun Devils went a disappointing 14-17 record this past season, rebuilding around numerous transfers, though key wing Marcus Bagley only played three games.
Justus is the seventh assistant hired by Keatts at NC State, following A.W. Hamilton, Takayo Siddle, James Johnson, Roy Roberson, Mike Summey, Watkins and Richardson.
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