TRI-PARTISAN: Kevin Keatts Stocking Up For Future With 2020 Class

Each week I submit a Tri-Partisan column to WRALSportsFan.com, and here is today's feature where I tell you why Kevin Keatts was so happy after Tuesday night's win over Alcorn State.

WRALSportsFan.com: Kevin Keatts Stocking Up For Future With 2020 Class

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts had a big smile on his face after Tuesday night's win over Alcorn State.

Sure, he wanted to talk about how well he felt his team played in the victory, and he was certainly pleased to see Markell Johnson knock down some shots. Want some thoughts on playing in Reynolds Coliseum? He gave some of those, too.

However, it was obvious that Keatts really wanted to discuss the five-man 2020 recruiting class that he inked over the course of the last week. In fact, it took him all of one sentence in his postgame press conference to reference the haul.

“I know we played a game tonight which is great, but I am excited, too, about our future,” Keatts told media members shortly after taking a seat at the podium. “We signed five really good basketball players that can certainly help us in the future, and it helps us continue to develop our culture. When you look at the guys we signed, all five of those guys fill a need for us. I’m excited about this bunch.”

All coaches are focused on the now, because this is a “What have you done for me lately” business. Still, recruiting is the necessary lifeblood of every college basketball team.

Keatts knows this, and recently NC State has stacked up on various transfers to quickly build the culture within the program that Keatts covets. From traditional transfers like C.J. Bryce and Devon Daniels to junior college transfers D.J. Funderburk and A.J. Taylor, college experience has been a priority. Heck, State has landed two grad transfers in each of the previous three seasons, including Pat Andree and Danny Dixon this year.

With five scholarships to fill in the 2020 class, Keatts and his staff prioritized high school standouts, and a heavy focus was placed on in-state stars.

“It’s becoming popular for guys in-state to come to NC State,” Keatts stated. “That’s one of the things that I wanted to happen. We’ve lost some of those recruiting battles. It’s always been tough because we’ve got some pretty good programs in this state, and a lot of times, those guys have decided to go elsewhere instead of coming to NC State. With this group of guys, they decided that NC State was good enough, and we only do well with people who want to come to our program.”

That last line is critical.

Based on the recent recruiting approach, Keatts has placed an added emphasis in pursuing players the coaching staff has built a relationship with. All four in-state signees either attended camp at NC State or were recruited over multiple years. The two headliners, Moravian Prep (NC) five-star guard Josh Hall and Greensboro Day (NC) four-star point guard Cam Hayes, had options from top programs across the country – yet they both chose to stay home. Their decisions catapulted the recruiting class into the top ten nationally, as it currently sits at No. 5 in the country per Rivals and 247.

On paper, this is a foundation class for NC State. Click the link to read the rest of the story: LINK