New UNCW men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts took the first steps in building his staff Tuesday with the addition of Takayo Siddle and Casey Stanley as assistant coaches.
Keatts took over the helm of the Seahawk program earlier this month and has been busy with all facets of the program. Siddle and Stanley will begin their new posts immediately.
“I’m very pleased to have Takayo and Casey join us here at UNCW,” said Keatts, former associate head coach at Louisville. “These two young men are very hard workers and will be key contributors as we build this program. I think everyone in the Wilmington community will enjoy meeting and getting to know them as we move forward.”
Siddle joins the UNCW program after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C. He arrived at GWU in 2010 following one season at Hargrave Military Academy, where Keatts was the head coach for 10 seasons.
In Siddle’s last year at Hargrave, the Tigers had 12 players sign NCAA Division I scholarships, including five in the ACC, SEC, Big East and Big Ten.
“I’ve known Takayo for a long time and his knowledge of the game, work ethic and enthusiasm will be a big plus for us,” Keatts said. “He played for me at Hargrave before attending Gardner-Webb. He’s taken what he learned as a player and become one of the bright young coaches in America.”
A native of Eden, N.C., Siddle played four seasons for the Runnin’ Bulldogs from 2006-10, appearing in 114 games. Siddle played in 21 games during his freshman year when GWU upset Minnesota and East Carolina on the road and took defending national champion North Carolina to the final buzzer.
In 2006-07, Siddle started all 30 games for Gardner-Webb as a sophomore and averaged a career-best 8.6 ppg with 104 assists.
As a junior in 2007-08, Siddle played in 32 games and helped Gardner-Webb stun No. 20 Kentucky at Rupp Arena and advance to the final four of the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Madison Square Garden.
Siddle was a prep standout for Coach John Harder at Morehead High School in Eden, where he averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
Siddle then played one season at Hargrave for Keatts before attending Gardner-Webb. He completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Gardner-Webb in 2009.
Stanley, meanwhile, has accumulated a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience at five different institutions in a short amount of time.
He joins the staff after working last season as video coordinator on Richard Pitino’s staff at Minnesota. The Gophers went 25-13 and captured the NIT title with a 65-63 victory over SMU at Madison Square Garden.
“Casey is a talented young coach who will bring a lot to our program,” said Keatts. “He’s been around many different programs and has gained a variety of experience. He will be a tremendous asset, especially in this important first year.”
Prior to moving to Minneapolis, Stanley served on Pitino’s staff at Florida International. He began the 2012-13 season as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations before being elevated to Assistant Coach. The Panthers posted their first winning season (18-14) in 13 years, racked up their most wins in 15 years, and reached the Sun Belt Conference championship game for the first time.
Stanley also served one season as Video Coordinator at Louisville in 2011-12 and one season as Coordinator of Basketball Operations for Kevin Willard at Seton Hall in 2010-11. At Seton Hall, he was responsible for the program’s day-to-day operations, team travel and video scouting
Stanley attended Iona College and worked two seasons as Director of Operations for Willard during his time there. Stanley earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science at Iona in 2008.
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