Kevin Keatts adds former NC State player to staff. Everything to know about new coach
Kevin Keatts is bringing one of N.C. State’s own back to Raleigh.
Former Wolfpack forward Levi Watkins will join Keatts’ staff, the school announced Friday.
Watkins spent the past four seasons in the SEC as an assistant at Ole Miss. He played at N.C. State from 2002-05, and was on the Wolfpack’s coaching staff from 2006-09, first as an administrative coordinator, then as video coordinator. He rejoined the staff from 2010-13 as the director of operations.
“I’m excited to welcome Levi and his family back home,” Keatts said in a release through the school’s athletic department. “His passion for NC State has been apparent every time I have spoken to him. Levi has a great basketball mind and he’s helped guide the last three programs he’s been with to the NCAA Tournament. He’s a great builder of young men, who will develop our players both on and off the court. He’s a strong recruiter and communicator. I think he’s going to bring enthusiasm and excitement to our program every day and I’m excited to have him on our staff.”
After leaving Raleigh, Watkins had stops as an assistant at Buffalo (2015-16) and Arizona State (2016-18) before joining the staff at Ole Miss.
During his playing days, Watkins helped lead N.C. State to four consecutive NCAA tournaments. The Rockville, Maryland native played in 97 games (20 starts) for the Wolfpack.
“I want to thank Coach Keatts for the opportunity to return back to my alma mater,” Watkins wrote in a statement. “My family and I are thrilled and I can’t wait to be back on the sidelines for the Wolfpack. Over the last 20 years, I have been extremely fortunate to play, recruit, and coach in and against many of the premier basketball teams, leagues and regions all across this country. I am looking forward to playing a critical role in contributing to the success and next level of men’s basketball here at NC State. As a former NC State student athlete, I know what it means to wear the Wolfpack uniform, the tradition that is engrained into the very fabric of who we are, and the culture and passion that permeates throughout all of Wolfpack Nation!”
Watkins mostly worked with the Rebels’ post players. After transferring to Ole Miss, Romello White broke the single-season for field goal percentage (64.9%) under Watkins.
In his first season in Oxford, Ole Miss was predicted to finish last in the SEC, but ended the year with a trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2019, he helped assemble an Ole Miss recruiting class that was ranked in the top 20 nationally.
Watkins has been to a combined 10 NCAA tournaments as a player and coach.
Two N.C. State assistant coaches, Roy Roberson and Mike Summey, were let go at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
