RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – One year after Kevin Keatts led the North Carolina State men’s basketball team to its first Final Four appearance in over 40 years, the university decided to part ways with its head coach over the weekend.
This brings a swift end to an eight-year tenure that saw many ups and downs, highlighted by last year’s wild ride to the program’s first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1987 on top of the improbable Final Four run. The announcement came just one day after the Wolfpack’s season came to an underwhelming close, finishing with a 12-19 overall record and failing to qualify for the ACC Tournament as the defending champions.
“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to N.C. State and for always representing the university with class,” N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a released statement on Sunday. “He will always have a treasured place in Wolfpack history for the accomplishments of his 2023-24 squad and I appreciate the passion he brought to this role. We wish him and his family the best in the future.”
Keatts made his own statement on social media, describing his time in Raleigh as “a dream come true.”
“As we enter this new era of college sports, I wholeheartedly believe that I am leaving the program in better position to succeed than when I started — and that the basketball program will continue to thrive when supported to the level necessary to compete,” Keatts said. “I am officially entering the portal.”
Now that Keatts is officially out of the job, tons of names have been circulating as possible replacements, but sources tell CBS 17 that two people are considered the front-runners: VCU head coach Ryan Odom and McNeese State head coach Will Wade.
Note: VCU and McNeese State are both in the midst of competing in their respective conference tournaments, both favored to win and granting them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As long as their teams are still playing, N.C. State cannot officially announce either one of them as the program’s new coach, so it could be a few weeks until a finalized deal is confirmed.
Ryan Odom – VCU Rams head coach
Head coaching experience
- Charlotte (2014-15) – Record: 8-11
- Lenoir Rhyne (2015-16) – Record: 21-10
- UMBC (2016-21) – Record: 97-60
- Utah State (2021-23) – Record: 44-25
- VCU (2023-25) – Record: 49-20
Breakdown: As a Durham native, Odom has longstanding ties to North Carolina. His father, Dave Odom, started his own sports career at Goldsboro High School before jumping to the college ranks, eventually becoming a legendary coach at both East Carolina and Wake Forest.
Prior to arriving at VCU, the 50-year-old coach appeared on the national radar after his UMBC team famously upset Virginia in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, marking the first time a No. 16 seed had ever beaten a No. 1 seed. This year, Odom and the Rams are already making some noise heading into March Madness, entering postseason play as the Atlantic 10 regular-season champions.
Will Wade – McNeese State Cowboys head coach
Head coaching experience
- Chattanooga (2013-15) – Record: 40-25
- VCU (2015-17) – Record: 51-20
- LSU (2017-22) – Record: 105-51
- McNeese State (2023-25) – Record: 55-10
Breakdown: Since taking over at McNeese State in 2023, Wade has awakened its men’s basketball program, clinching back-to-back first-place finishes in the Southland Conference, along with making the NCAA Tournament this past season. Meanwhile, he and the Cowboys are on the verge of another tournament berth.
In total, the 42-year-old coach has guided three separate programs to the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven years. Most notably, Wade spearheaded LSU to the Southeastern Conference regular-season crown in 2019 as well as to three March Madness appearances.