NC State’s Keatts names former Virginia Tech coach as assistant

Kevin Keatts and James Johnson were teammates at Ferrum College and will work together at N.C. State.

Keatts, the Wolfpack’s new basketball coach, hired Johnson to be his assistant on Monday. Johnson agreed to a one-year deal worth $400,000.

Johnson, a former head coach at Virginia Tech, had spent the past two seasons at Miami as the director of basketball operations.

Keatts and Johnson were teammates at Ferrum, from 1991 to ’93, and helped the Panthers win the Dixie Conference title and reach the Division III NCAA tournament in 1992.

“James and I go back over 25 years, and my comfort level in his approach, his knowledge of the ACC, and my respect for his ability to teach and develop our student-athletes, makes him an ideal fit,” Keatts said in a statement released by the school. “He is an outstanding addition to our staff, and I welcome him to N.C. State.”

Johnson, 45, spent seven seasons at Virginia Tech, the first five as an assistant. He went 22-41 as the head coach from 2012 through ’14.

Johnson also worked as an assistant at George Mason, Penn State, College of Charleston, Elon, Old Dominion, Longwood and Hargrave Military Academy.

When Johnson left Hargrave for ODU in 1997, Keatts took his spot on the Hargrave staff. This will be the first time the two have coached together.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "NC State’s Keatts names former Virginia Tech coach as assistant."