Who is Kevin Keatts? NC State Final Four coach produced a few Xavier basketball legends

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts is a great example of how the Madness of March can turn personal fates on a dime.

Less than a month ago, Keatts was reportedly on the hot seat with his Wolfpack on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. Then, madness ensued. NC State got hot at the right time ? ripping off five wins in five days to capture the ACC Tournament title and secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack have continued to play their best basketball at the right time, winning four games to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1983.

NC State meets top-seeded Purdue in Phoenix Saturday for a spot in the national championship game.

Long before he was leading the Wolfpack on a Cinderella NCAA Tournament run, Keatts was the staple of one of the best prep basketball programs in the nation at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. Keatts, who had two stints as the Hargrave head coach (1999-2001 and 2003-2011), captured two national prep championships (2004, 2008) and was runner-up three times. He was inducted into Hargrave's Hall of Fame in 2011 before returning to the college ranks as an associate head coach under Rick Pitino at Louisville.

While at Hargrave, Keatts helped lay the groundwork for some successful Xavier teams as the dominant prep school produced a few Xavier legends.

David West, a member of the Hargrave squad during the 1998-1999 season, was recruited by former Xavier head coach Skip Prosser. West became a two-time Consensus All-American, the 2003 National Player of the Year and a three-time A-10 Player of the Year at Xavier under Prosser and Thad Matta. In his four seasons combined, West led Xavier to a 94-32 combined record and three NCAA Tournament appearances. West is No. 3 all-time in Xavier history in points (2,132) and total rebounds (1,308).

Jordan Crawford, a member of the 2006-2007 Hargrave squad, was a Kelvin Sampson recruit at Indiana. After one season with the Hoosiers, he transferred to Xavier in the summer of 2008. After sitting out a season, Crawford led Xavier in scoring (20.5 points per game) in the first season of the Chris Mack era in 2009-2010. He was named an all-conference selection in leading Xavier to the Sweet 16.

West and Crawford are two of the nine players coached by Keatts at the prep level to reach the NBA, according to his bio.

Stanley Burrell was an honorable mention All-American at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis when he inked his national letter of intent to join Matta's Musketeers in Nov. 2003. Burrell didn't go directly to the Xavier, though. Instead, the high-scoring guard spent one season under Keatts at Hargrave. In four seasons under Sean Miller at Xavier, Burrell scored over 1,600 points and was a three-time all-conference selection. He helped lead the Musketeers to the Elite Eight as a senior in 2008.

More: Xavier Musketeers make final list for 2 NCAA transfer portal targets

Xavier's Quincy Olivari wraps up college career in Final Four All-Star Game, 3-point contest

Xavier fans got to enjoy Quincy Olivari in a Musketeer jersey one final time this week. The Xavier guard participated in a pair of events at the Final Four.

On Thursday, Olivari participated in the Hanes 3-Point Championship at Grand Canyon University. He was eliminated in the first round after finishing with 14 points. The event was won by Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga.

On Friday, Olivari had a much better showing in the 2024 National Association of Basketball Coaches Reese's Division I College All-Star Game at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. Playing for the Division I East All-Stars who were coached by Oakland's Greg Kampe, Olivari registered a team-high 16 points. The West All-Stars would pull away in the second half for an 87-75 victory. New Mexico’s Jaelen House (16 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NC State Final Four head coach Kevin Keatts produced Xavier legends