Kevin Keatts is NC State’s next head basketball coach

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and confirmed by multiple media members, NC State will hire Kevin Keatts to be it next head coach. Keatts has spent the last three seasons as the head coach at UNC-Wilmington, where he led to the Seahawks to a pair of NCAA tournament trips.

NC State and Keatts met Friday afternoon, a day after Keatts’ team was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Virginia. Terms of his deal with NCSU have not yet been disclosed. Expect an introductory press conference early next week.

Keatts and Will Wade reportedly were the finalists for the job this time around and I think what set Keatts apart was his history both at Hargrave and at Louisville. NC State needed a better coach who can also recruit well, and Keatts could be that guy. He has experience recruiting at the high-major level, which was a significant plus in his favor. (And he needs to get to work ‘crootin right away, too.)

So here we are, here’s our dude. Give us your knee-jerk reaction to this hire.