In his last two press conferences, NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts has brought up what his team did last year, unprompted. You know, when it won the ACC Championship for the first time in 37 years and made the Final Four for the first time in 41 years.
It’s as if Keatts thinks his job is on the line and is using what his team did last year as the reason why he should stick around even though the Wolfpack is in danger of missing the ACC Tournament as the defending champions.
After the Pack’s biggest loss of the season against Louisville, Keatts directed his commentary toward the fans, which there was a lack thereof at Lenovo Center.
“If you think as a fan if you’re disappointed, how do you think the guys who work extremely hard every day feel?” Keatts said. “We’re busting our butt every day. And let’s not forget this. Let’s not forget one thing. Now, we did hang a banner, two of them. That hadn’t happened in 37 and 40 years. So let’s have some respect for that part of it.”
He then went on to explain why fans should keep showing up to games even though at the time, the Wolfpack was one game away from setting the longest losing streak in program history.
“If there was a fan that had a business, and they wasn’t doing well, I [would] still support their business,” Keatts said. “And when you in it, be in it — don’t be halfway.”
Then after NC State won its second game of the calendar year over Boston College, toward the end of the press conference, Keatts was asked how nice it was to have a six-point, six-assist and no turnover performance from graduate guard Michael O’Connell who had been struggling during the losing streak.
At first, Keatts answered the question, talking about how great it was to have O’Connell play at that level and the impact he has, but then he brought up what the team accomplished last season unprompted again in an attempt to defend O’Connell who has received criticism for his play.
“Don’t take it for granted because a lot of folks took it for granted,” Keatts said. “They had to wait 40 years for it to happen, and we did something special. So that doesn’t mean that this team gets grace, but Michael man, guy hit a great shot against Virginia and, well, you would think he’s the worst player that’s ever played here. If it was up to him, he should have just retired right after the Virginia game.”
Then he brought up what NC State football head coach Dave Doeren said at his opening press conference in 2012, and it came off as a subtle diss to his coaching counterpart.
“I remember Dave at the end of his press conference saying when he was hired, all he had to do was beat Carolina,” Keatts said. “How about winning championships? That’s what we’ve done.”
Keatts also took an uncharacteristic jab at the media when talking about the criticism he and his team have received since the start of the season.
“I get a little offended when it comes to my players,” Keatts said. “I don’t get offended by me. I don’t even — I hate to tell you guys or anybody — I don’t even read your shit.”
The usually upbeat and eternally optimistic Keatts has broken character in these last two press conferences. He’s felt the need to go out of his way to bring up what his team did last season in what seems like an attempt to convince fans and his bosses why he should stick around.
Less than a year after winning the ACC Championship, making the Final Four and securing an automatic extension, the idea of Keatts having to plead for job security would have been unfathomable.
Yet, here we are.
