The NC State Board of Trustees approved Friday an extension for third-year men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts.
The extension puts Keatts under contract for seven seasons through the 2025-26 campaign. He originally signed a six-year agreement to become head coach of the Wolfpack in March 2017, and was awarded with a new contract in November of 2018 that carried through the 2023-24 season.
“NC State has become home for my family and I, we’re grateful to Chancellor Woodson and Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan for their commitment and the opportunity to continue to lead the Wolfpack,” said Keatts. “I look forward to building on the foundation we’ve created, and to leading NC State for many years to come.”
The financial terms of the extension for Keatts match those of the contract he signed in 2018.
“Coach Keatts has proven to be a tremendous leader for NC State, he brings stability and consistency to our program and does it the right way,” said Corrigan. “His teams compete night in and night out with a toughness that is representative of what makes NC State special. This extension reflects our gratitude and commitment to Kevin and his family.”
In his first two seasons at NC State, Keatts has led the Wolfpack to a 45-24 record including a pair of postseason appearances.
In 2017-18, Keatts took a program preseason picked 12th in the ACC and led them to five wins over ranked opponents and a 11-7 record in the ACC to finish in a tie for third place. The 11 conference wins were 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 ACC since the 2003-04 team finished second. Keatts finished the regular season with 21 wins, tying with legendary coach Everett Case for the most regular season wins by a first-year head coach in program history as the Wolfpack reached the NCAA Tournament.
The 2018-19 squad went 24-12 and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. The squad reached 10 ACC victories for the second consecutive season.
The 2019-20 season gets underway on November 5 when NC State hosts Georgia Tech at PNC Arena.
