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NC State has hired Kevin Keatts as its next head coach, becoming the latest in line trying to take the Wolfpack back to being a powerhouse.

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Kevin Keatts is the latest man to be in charge of leading the NC State Wolfpack back to the glory days of the 1980s and Jim Valvano.

Per Jon Rothstein, The 44-year-old Keatts has been hired as the head coach for the Wolfpack after two straight NCAA Tournament appearances in charge of UNC-Wilmington, where he led the Seahawks to a 72-28 record over three seasons in which they won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title each year.

Prior to Wilmington, Keatts spent three seasons working as an assistant under Rick Pitino at Louisville. The Cardinals won the 2013 national championship while Keatts was an assistant.

Keatts takes over a program that has been looking for consistent success since 1990, when Valvano was fired. Les Robinson, Herb Sendek, Sidney Lowe, and Mark Gottfried have all taken turns at head coach, but none of them, with maybe the exception of Sendek, were able to get the Wolfpack to the level that the fans and boosters expect.

Gottfried was fired earlier this month after the Wolfpack failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, including a 15-17 (4-14 ACC) record this season.

MORE: Complete NCAA Tournament Bracket, Previews, Predictions