Keatts: 'It's a Program Win ... Because of the Adversity'

Here's what the NC State basketball coach said after Wednesday's come-from-behind 73-68 win against Notre Dame

For awhile, it looked as if Wednesday's game against Notre Dame was going to be an extension of a loss four days earlier at Clemson for the NC State basketball team.

Again playing without leading scorer C.J. Bryce, the Wolfpack did a poor job of defending the 3-point line and seemed listless at times in falling behind by as many 12 with 15:20 to go. What's worse, guards Markell Johnson and Braxton Beverly, and big man Manny Bates all had to pay visits to the trainer for treatment at one time or another for a variety of ailments. 

But then, just like that, State dug in and battled back.

The rally started with a burst of energy off the bench from D.J. Funderburk and took hold when Johnson -- despite suffering from back spasms -- did what coach Kevin Keatts challenged him to do after the Clemson game and led State when it needed it most. He finished with a career high-tying 27 points and seven rebounds in what could potentially become a season-defining 73-68 victory at PNC Arena.

Here's what Keatts had to say about it after the game:

 “I’m excited tonight because I thought that was a great team win and the reason being is that we fought through a lot of adversity. When you look at the fact that we were without our leading scorer and rebounder and throughout the game we had so many obstacles we had to overcome. Markell had back spasms at halftime. I didn't even know if he was going to be able to play the second half and then of course Braxton Beverly may be the most beatup guy in the country, but he always responds. But I thought we did a tremendous job.

"I did not like the way we defended the 3-point line. In the first half they were 5 for 7. We knew coming into the game they’re an elite 3-point shooting team. They average 10 a game and made 16 against Syracuse (on Saturday). I thought we came out in the second half and did a great job with that.

"D.J. Funderburk was tremendous in his activity. He was flying all over the place and kept a lot of balls alive. (I was) very proud of Markell. He’s taken a lot of criticism within the last 3-4 and for him to come back and play and tie his career high -- and most importantly make some free throws down the stretch -- that makes me happy as a coach.

"(I'm) proud of it. .Notre Dame is a good program. (Coach Mike Brey) does a tremendous job there. I thought we did a great job on (big man John) Mooney until I looked at the stats sheet, and I saw he was 14 points and 14 rebounds, so I’ve got to do better in that area. But I'm excited for our guys. It’s a program win. In my three years, I can point to a couple games that are program wins. This is one of them because of the adversity.”

Keatts addressed the pep talks he's had with Johnson since calling him out after the senior point guard's less than stellar performance at Clemson.

“We sat down on the plane when we got back. Just he and I sat there on the tarmac for about 20 minutes. He’s a young man and we forget about that. We live in a world of social media and as a coach here at NC State I don't get too high about when someone says something great about me or I don't get too low. I stay even. It doesn't matter to me what people say about me on social media. But these are kids and so they read stuff. The thing that bothers me is that sometimes it's your own folks that are saying negative things about your players. I know all the coaches in our program have said some things about that and that bothers me because, look, we’re all in this together and we're going to fight together. That’s what NC State’s about.

"But, to his credit, he bounced back. He was going through some things, He was on a rollercoaster ride. I told him that he’s our point guard and he has to deliver. To his credit, he had two great days of practice. Later on today before we got over here, there’s a little video that (former Tennessee football player Inky Johnson) put out, and I sent the entire group the video and the video was about staying together.

"You can't do anything, no matter what walk of life you’re in -- whether it’s business, whether it’s parenting if you have to or in sports -- you have to do it together. It was an inspiration to me. It was on my heart and I sent it to them. I talked to (Johnson) right after the shootaround and I just said 'Man, you’ve got to be the player you can be.' I just want him to build on it. There’s going to be ups and downs with him, but at the end of the day he’s done a lot of things for NC State and I’m proud that he’s here. Hopefully he can continue to build on it.”

In addition to the energy Funderburk brought to the floor in the second half, he also contributed 16 points and nine rebounds -- five of them on the offensive end. Keatts addressed his performance and his adjustment to the power foward ( or "four") position while playing along side fellow big man Manny Bates.

“They’re playing great together because D.J. is starting to learn the four a little bit. Early on he struggled with anytime we would switch a screen. He still has the mentality to run into the paint, so he wasn't guarding the 3-point line. But those guys long. They’re athletic. They do a tremendous job. They block shots and DJ was great, He did a great job with keeping a lot of possessions live for us and more importantly, I think he made four free throws in the stretch. That was good."

Keatts was asked about the defensive adjustments that helped stop Notre Dame from doing so much damage from the perimeter. After the Irish made five of their seven first half 3-pointers -- including four from guard Prentiss Hubb -- they were just 1 of 11 after halftime.

“We didn't anticipate that Hubb was going to go off that much and he did a great job. So we made an adjustment and we took Braxton Beverly off of him and put Devon Daniels, who's probably not going to get a lot of credit for the win because he didn't score a lot, (on him). But he did a tremendous job in that area. They are so good because they pick you apart. This is one of, if not the best, passing team in the country that we've played against. They pick you apart.

"If you take away the three, they hit the guy on the inside. But I thought our guys did a great job. We might be the only team this year who’s turned them over 14 times and only had 11 assists. I thought our pressure was very effective in the second half. I think they got a little tight once the score got tight. I knew once we got the lead we could put some game pressure on them and I thought it worked for us.”

Keatts was asked about the energy his shorthanded team got from the crowd and how even with its limited manpower, still managed to wear Notre Dame -- which only played six players -- down late in the game.

"In a perfect world I would have 10 or 11 guys that can go. We are different. We've had to adjust, I've had to adjust as a coach, because we press all the time, So we've kind of pulled our press back a little bit just to save some guys. But we are more aggressive halfcourt, trying to deny, getting in the passing lanes,'

"But they’re good. They know how to play. They are smart. They can play with six or seven guys because they don't play the style we play and they rarely foul you. We didn't have a free throw in the first half and then the second half we drove and were able to get to the free throw line 17 times.”

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey pointed to a sequence with 6 1/2 minutes left in which Funderburk got two offensive rebounds before finally feeding Beverly for a 3-pointer that got State back to within 2 as the moment he realized it wasn't going to be his team's night. Keatts was asked if he had a similar feeling about the play.

"I'm sorry, I didn't feel the way he did. It was a tight game and D.J. just made great plays. It was a back and forth game. What I wanted to do at the end was I wanted to make sure we defended the 3-point line. We still gave up a shot (on Notre Dame's final possession), but they missed it and we got the rebound.”

Bates finished the game with three blocked shots and now has 48 for the season, breaking J.J. Hickson's school record for a freshman and a mark for which Keatts said he's both proud and surprised.

“That kid is what everybody should be. He's a guy who didn’t play two years of basketball as a senior in high school and as a (true) freshman last year. Just to see him come back and play the way he's played .... I never would have anticipated it. 

"I knew when I recruited him out of high school he was probably one of the best shot blockers I had ever seen. But with his shoulder injuries, I didn’t think he would be that aggressive. I thought it would take some time. The first time I let him practice, I said 'now don't try to block any shots. I just want you to wall up' because I was nervous. I didn't want him to dislocate his shoulder. And the first practice he probably blocked eight shots and I'm like 'You've got to be careful.' But I am excited. I love that kid. He does a tremendous for us. He does everything right.”