Kevin Keatts: "We Have To Do A Better Job Defending"

NC State men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts met with the media ahead of the team’s matchup against North Carolina to discuss his roster, the Tar Heels, and much more.

Second crack at North Carolina, what would you like to see change? Obviously the final score. What would you like to see change from the way you played in the first game to this game?
Well, we have to do a better job defending. I thought Bacot really, really hurt us in both ways. He's such a tough matchup for our guys, and most of the guys that play against him, but rebounding and he was able to score the basketball and you can't let him beat you in so many ways. Obviously, his ability to score with his back to the basket, he's got a lot better. I think, one of the things is we got to do a better job of keeping him off the offensive glass. His numbers were like playing video games. He was so good.

And then we have to continue to do a great job getting back in transition. I think in the first, in round one, we only gave up six transition baskets, which is pretty good when you play against a Carolina team, because of the way they run, but we got to stay solid. I think our defense has to be really good.

How far do you think your team has come, or how different do you think your team is from that first team to now?
Well, I think we've grown, and when you look at it, we've grown in so many areas. We've had so many obstacles, and I think our guards have gotten better understanding the rest of our team. Early in the season they were better scorers, but now I think they realize how to get everybody the ball to be effective to help us. I think we have grown defensively, we've shown some games where we can be really solid and locked down and defend.

And so I think more than anything, we matured, and we've been able to come together as a team more than we have a few weeks ago. 

One guy you didn't have in the first game was Jack Clark, and you will have him this time. Just how much should that help you think in attacking them?
Yeah. He gives us another guy who can score the basketball. Greg and Ernest have done a tremendous job, but they're not scorers, they're more defensive guys, and so when you add a guy like Jack to your lineup, and you put him in the game, you have to guard him, because of his ability to stretch your defense out and be able to make shots behind the three point line.

Did he come out of that game physically okay the other day, because he played more minutes than he'd played in a couple of months.
Yeah, too many, too many, Chip. I wanted to play him about 20 minutes in that game, but of course when you're playing against the Syracuse Zone you need as many shooters as you can have on the floor, but I think he's fine right now.

What did you see from the first game, in terms of what you can do to slow down RJ Davis?
When RJ Davis is playing well one of the things we can't give him, I think he was 12 for 12 on the free throw line. We got to do a better job of not putting him on the line, because obviously he didn't miss, but he's tough. The only way to stop a guy like him, who can really score the basketball, is to try to limit his touches, and I think we got to do a better job of limiting his touches, not giving him easy shots.

He's a tough matchup, because he's got the 15, 18 foot pull up, then he can shoot threes, and then he can also finish at the rim, and then as we talked about, you don't want to foul him, because you can almost count those.

You talked also after the first game about if you double Bacot then it opens up shooters, but then obviously if Bacot's one-on-one, it's a pick your poison type of deal. Do you still see yourself wanting to not double Bacot?
Well it's one of those things is like, I think a lot of teams go in our game, trying to figure out do you double DJ Burns and give the other guy a shot? Same thing with Bacot. He's become, over his career, he's become a really good passer, and so I think you got to pick and choose, whether you decide if you're going to double him that night.

I think you have to go into every game prepared to maybe possibly throw some doubles at him, and every now and then, but he's such... because he's gotten doubled this year, he's become a really good passer out of that, and so we got to figure that out, and I don't know exactly what we're going to do yet.

Looking at the tape, how do you feel like the team played in the Syracuse game overall?
We didn't make shots, which Syracuse Zone has a lot to do with everybody that they play, that don't make shots, but I thought we put ourself in position on the road to have an opportunity to win.

We knew it was going to be a tough game. We look at every game that they played at home, mainly Syracuse, it came down to the wire, and I even watched the Carolina game, and obviously when they got the charge at the end, that kind of separated the game, but I didn't think we shot the ball well, which a lot of that has to do with them, but I did think we played well enough to be able to win the game at the end.

You see a lot of high school players that are big men who want to be outside shooters now. How refreshing is it that this is a real old school low post matchup on Sunday?
Oh it's a major league. This is a major league low post game. Hubert and I are both probably known more as guards coaches or perimeter guys, but we got two guys that make us look like we know what we're doing in the post.

Those guys are really good. They're two of the most talented guys, not only in our league, in the country as far as playing with their back to the basket. You don't see that anymore.

Do you pay attention to the NET rankings and Ken Pom and all this about where you stand, and you keep an eye on that?
Only when somebody tell me, "Well, where are we at today Chip?" Because I know you...

You were 30 ... what? 38, I think?
Only when somebody tells me. I do know when I'm playing a certain team, what quad they are, because I think that's important. And I think with our remaining schedule, I think we even got Quad 2s or one Quad 1 available, so I do know that part of it, but I don't look at the NET daily.

In order for the team not to get too far ahead of itself and start thinking, "We're closing in maybe on a NCAA bid," or something like just task in hand, or has this been a good team that's been able just to...
Oh no, Chip, we're only worried about what practice looked like today. With this group, we just go day-by-day, and the big picture obviously. I think you can achieve a lot with the big picture, which we've done so far, but we don't look ahead.

Coach, this is a bit of a pivot, but you were at the women's game last night, and afterwards Coach Moore was talking about how you and Coach Doeren have supported him through this season, and that's something you've talked about in the past with them supporting you, and what's that brotherhood like between the three of you?
It's great, man. Those guys ... if you want to use the word ... I'm the freshman coming in, because they've been here... Coach Moore ... I don't know ... is Coach Moore the senior, maybe Dave's a junior, I don't know what it is.

But they have done a really, really good job over the years of developing a culture in their program, and that was something that we wanted coming in. We took over. It was such a challenge to get the right pieces, to get everything on the right track, and our friendship and respect for each other as coaches has really, really been special, and we are supportive.

In coaching, you don't have a lot of people to talk to when you're a head coach, because a lot of people don't go through some of the things you go through, and I would say those two guys ... whether it's a text or conversation we've had ... and you know got to know Wes. Wes Is the best, but he thinks that the world's falling in when he lose a game. And I told him, I said, "Hey, until you go through a year like I went through last year, stop complaining."

What a great win. He's done a great job. I'm so happy that he got the game last night, and he won that game. His girls, young ladies, are really fighting really hard, and he's dropped some games that Wes Moore's team wouldn't normally drop, but he also lost some really good players, and that's one of the things I've had to tell him is, "Hey, Elissa Cunane and that crew was really good, and these young ladies will get their own identity, and I think they're finding it."

So I'm happy for everybody's success, and I think each one of them are very happy for the success that we're having this year. Awesome.

Can you go to a game and just watch, or do you find yourself coaching a little bit, as a basketball coach like that?
I don't coach where people can see me, but I do talk, and I may say something to someone beside me like, "Hey, you know what," but I don't ever want to leave someone's game ... even though I played football, I don't want someone in the game who says, "Kevin just keeps trying to tell Dave Doeren what to do." On game night, I got my team, they got their team, I'm into the games, but I'm not coaching, no.

He mentioned you in the post-game press conference, Wes, last night. He hated he had to press.
You know what? He's changing his ways. All of a sudden. Hey when I was saying that, he's starting to press a little bit more, and he is starting to like it now.

He plays zone, too, doesn't he?
He does not play zone, so don't... his press, I'm telling you, Chip, is that NC State women's basketball is starting to press just a little bit more, and they're starting to turn people over with the press also.

Did you find 14 zone possessions this year?
No, I did not. I have no idea where that came from, and I know there's not 14, because I'm the one that would've called his own. So we don't have any, no ... you know what? I take it back. We probably have about seven, because at the end of a couple of games that we won early non-conference, when we had a great lead, we dropped back into a couple zone possessions.

I have a feeling you're not going to the outdoor game, or you're going to the hockey game all, or not?
I'm not.

I got a game the next day. I'm preparing, but I'm excited. What a great thing for our community, and the Canes, and everything else, so I'm excited about it.

Coach, your team has raised expectations. That's pretty cool, I'm sure, but does that make things a little more difficult?
No, whether the expectations were difficult, whether we had raised expectations to winning or not, every game is difficult.

It's so hard to win, and it's so rewarding, and I don't take winning for granted, and we celebrate. If you see every win that we've had, all 20 wins that we've had, we've jumped up and down, we throw water, because it's hard to win. So we celebrate every win, but the expectations are expectations that we put on ourselves, and so it's not from the outside. Our guys that meet in this room, and practice on that court out there every day, we have high expectations.

The Athletic, I think, did a story this past week about coaches and how old they would like to coach to. Is it a little weird now, where you've gone through this transition where you saw some coaches who have obviously coached well into their 70s, and then do you ever think of how weird would be or exciting for you, if you ever coached into your 70s? Or do you have in your mind like, "Okay, I'm out at a certain age, I want to enjoy life."
Yeah, well the guys that we lost in our business, when I say lost, I shouldn't say that. It's just not the right word. The guys who have retired and gone on to do different things, we lost some great coaches, and we will continue losing great coaches.

But at the end of the day, I just think it's a feel. You can say how long you want to do a job, or how long you want to work. It comes down to your health, comes down to how well you can deal with the changes at that time of basketball, and do you still have passion to do the job with great energy, and everybody ... it comes down to, you want to spend more time with your family, your grandkids, and so everybody's situation is completely different.

So I don't have an age where I want to coach to. As long as I can bring great energy and passion, and feel like I'm really still helping young men, then I want to coach.

You got the '83 team coming in for one of the games next ... do you remember the '83 ... the games being played...
Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, I remember the '83 team and Dereck Whittenberg will never let me forget about it.

But no, that's a special moment, and kudos to our Athletic Director, Boo Corrigan, for making this happen, and we're glad to get as many members as we can of that '83 national championship team here on campus. And they're going to get a chance to spend a little time with us, and more importantly, our team, we are going to get a chance to spend a little time with them, and hopefully they get a chance to stop by practice.

And I love their story. They created something, where no one thought that they were ever going to win, and it forever will be the best story in college basketball. And so I think that's so special for my current players to be a part, and have a chance to meet those guys. They've met most of them, but as a group, the guys who will come back, I think that's so special for us, and what a special group of guys. I've had a chance to meet the majority of them, and just to hear them talk about their experience, and there were no egos and how guys got better and obviously just took off. I think that's wonderful.

Where were you in '83? Do you remember?
Oh man, Chip, I'm going to have to look that up.  Yeah, I can't tell you. I don't know, man.

How old were you then?
I was ... good ... '83. You put me on the spot right there. Was I in middle school, maybe?

44 years ago.
Maybe middle school. I don't know.

But you do remember seeing them?
I do.

Yeah, I do. And then I remember ... when I became the head coach at Hargrave, and meeting Sidney Lowe. We had Lorenzo Brown, and some really good players come through here that went to NC State. Kenny Inge also went through there, even though he didn't play for Sidney, and then Whittenberg at the time, Whittenberg was recruiting for Georgia Tech.

Yeah, he screwed up David West. So if you just want to have a story, just let him know.

Ask him about that one.  Yeah, ask him about that. He screwed up David West. David West wanted to come there and Whittenberg couldn't close the deal.

But what a great group of people. Sidney's a former player, obviously, that was the coach here.  And he's been outstanding, since I've taken the job, and didn't have to be because of his time here as a coach, but greater as a player.

Since people ask me all the time about eligibility, does Burns have another year that he could play here, or is he done after this year?
Burns has another year that he could play here.

What about Joiner? Is he done, or-
Joiner does not have any eligibility left.

And Clark?
Clark has another year.

This is good for you.  Yeah, it's good. Well, they're graduates and they've been playing for a long time.  It's funny that you ask that, because most people don't know or guess and all that other stuff, but the answer to those two, they do have another year of eligibility, and Jarkel doesn't.

If we could figure out how to get Jarkel Joiner another year, I would love to have that.

Dusan is not though, right?
He does not.

How much more difficult does it make roster management when you have three or four guys that could come back, or...
I think you have to ... two things I've decided not to do. In the ACC, I never look ahead at the schedule, because it would scare you, and you're like, "Oh my goodness." You never want to look at three or four games in advance, because you're like, "Man, oh my goodness," because at that point you're saying, "Man, I got these guys, I got these guys, these guys."

My new thing is, I never look ahead and try to figure out who's coming back. You can't figure that out. We have to deal with it when it happens. I will tell you that every program, including NC State, you're going to lose some really good players, but fortunate enough, you're going to be able to go out and find some good players that fit what you want to do, and that want to be at NC State.

And not that the guys that leave don't want to be here, but there may be a better opportunity for them. There may be some situation that they like a little bit more, and if that's the case, you want to go out and get some guys that you feel like they want to be here, and obviously be a part of this program.