Keatts' New, New Year's Resolution

NC State coach: 'If I can figure a way to get all of our guys healthy, it would make me happy'

Even though we're already nearly a month into 2020, it's apparently never too late to make a New Year's resolution.

And Kevin Keatts has one for his suddenly scuffling NC State basketball team.

"If I can figure a way to get all our guys healthy, it would make me happy and we'll live with the results," Keatts said on his radio show Tuesday night. "My New Year's resolution now is to get everybody healthy and ready to go."

That hasn't happened much to this point in the season.

Of the 10 scholarship players on the roster that are currently eligible. excluding academic redshirt Dereon Seabron and transfer Thomas Allen, six have missed at least one game because of injury. And then there's D.J. Funderburk, who missed the first two games because of a suspension.

Not counting A.J. Taylor, who played in only one game before being shut down because of a knee issue, there have been only four occasions all season -- vs. Memphis on Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 22 against The Citadel, Jan. 15 against Miami and Jan. 17 against Clemson (at least briefly) -- in which Keatts has had his full complement of players available to him.

Markell Johnson sat out the season opener against Georgia Tech with a bad ankle;

Danny Dixon missed eight games in a nine-game span from Nov. 13 through Dec. 19 with a foot ailment;

C.J. Bryce was suffered a concussion that sidelined him from Dec. 29 through Jan. 15;

Manny Bates took a blow to the back of his head against Clemson on Jan. 17 and was in concussion protocol through Monday's game against North Carolina;

And Pat Andree suffered an ankle injury in the same game in which Bates went down and still has yet to play again.

"We haven't been able to get up and down (the court)," Keatts said of his preferred up-tempo style of play, which he's had to change this season because of the lack of manpower.

"It's just been tough. I know a lot of coaches around the country are saying the same thing. They want to be healthy.

"Getting healthy also a little bit tricky, because now it takes you a little bit of time to get back into the groove of things and get back into the chemistry of basketball."

An example of that is Bates, who was back in action Monday after missing two games, but was limited to just 19 minutes because of concerns over conditioning. Keatts said he's hopeful the redshirt freshman shot blocker will be closer to full strength for Saturday's game against Louisville.

The State coach said on his radio show that he is also optimistic about Andree's return for that game.

Although the graduate forward was dressed and went through pregame warmups for UNC, Keatts said he would only have been available to play in an emergency.

"I could have put him out there, but I don't want to put a guy out there that's not 100 percent," Keatts said. "He hasn't practiced with us. Hopefully (Wednesday) he can get in there, practice and be ready for Saturday."

Although Andree is averaging only 6.5 points per game, Keatts said his addition could make a different in an offense that has scored more than 60 points only twice in the past six games after scoring 70 or more in all but one of the previous 15 and is shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range over that same stretch.

"We're a much better shooting team than we're showing," Keatts said. "It's hurt us the last few games because arguably our best shooter Pat Andree -- even though he hasn't shot the ball well in conference play -- (isn't there) to make shots from outside."