Heritage grad shooting to turn UNC Wilmington back into winner

Great article, thanks for posting it .

Quote:“My current seniors had lost 65 games in three years,” Keatts said. “The challenge is developing a winning attitude. Last season, they lost 14 straight games. Some of those games they were in. I want to win some of those games that we could have won. So it’s getting these guys to believe in themselves.”

There are already signs of that happening. The Seahawks went toe to toe with a top-10 Louisville team last Sunday and made winning plays at the end when things got tight against the Flames on Wednesday.

“That’s a game these guys probably would have lost last year,” Keatts said.

Keatts nailed it on the head there.

Why take a cheap shot at last year's team?Do your job and let the results speak for themselves.

(12-21-2014 07:59 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  Why take a cheap shot at last year's team?Do your job and let the results speak for themselves.

Haha. Because its a true statement! He's saying this year's team is learning how to win, which is important given that the current seniors have suffered three losing seasons.

You're grasping for reasons not to like this guy. What gives?

Maybe Coach Keatts ran over his tricycle.

Why take a shot at a team and a coaching staff who can't respond and not to mention they all gave what they could at the time.?Its one thing for guys on a message board to talk crap but the head coach?
I will have to say they when I watched them online they played hard but I think that is what they are supposed to do.

No kidding. Of course it's what they're supposed to do. However, last year... they weren't doing it. This year they are. That's exactly what he's saying.

(12-22-2014 12:38 AM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  last year... they weren't doing it. This year they are. That's exactly what he's saying.

The Mullet is the only guy - including the players - who would assert the Keatts was doing anything other than stating the obvious.

Mullet, did you happen to read the rest of the article? It was quite good. Maybe it will provide some context for you.

I read the article,Keatts seems like a reasonably smart guy and that makes the question relevant to me.I also don't think that they were not playing hard last year,pretty much all you can do as a player or coach is give it your best.Keatts is lucky to have seniors who can play a little bit.He should be giving a little credit to them and the coach that helped them improve. It is not all about him even though he sees it that way.

(12-22-2014 08:59 AM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  He should be giving a little credit to them and the coach that helped them improve. It is not all about him even though he sees it that way.

That's the point, did Buzz really help them improve? most of these guys were an unorganized train wreck under Buzz. He has been able to get them headed in the right direction and pull the most out of them. He deserves the credit.

I know the results were bad under Buzz but the players worked hard and did get better and he did recruit these kids.One guy never deserves all the credit or all of the blame when it goes bad.It is still very early in the year and to this point I would give keatts the thumbs up but the whole point is why trash the team,coaching staff,etc from the previous year?I think the better way thing to do is simply move on,do your job and keep your mouth shut about the past.No good can come from calling the previous team losers and that is what he did.We all know the deal with last year-they could not finish games and it was simply because they were not good enough to get it done,not because Keatts has a magic wand and waved it over the program.He is young and maybe he can learn to keep his mouth shut.

If you could look at the whole picture, he is giving them props. He has been concerned about the seniors having a good, if not a great year. He understands their struggles their first three years. Especially Freddie and his choice to stay home and play here. He talks about it being important for them all the time. He's not taking shots at the previous coaching staff. He's just putting the seniors first.

I am looking at the entire picture and he is giving his team props for sure and himself.Freddie is playing great and I give Keatts a little credit for that and I give the player full credit for putting in the work.No doubt he takes a cheap shot at last year's team by saying they would find a way to lose-how could that be anything but a put down?The seniors he has are better players than last year's for sure and I am not sure he has much to do with that.I have been a Jackson fan since his days at NHHS and before.He had some nice battles with Stillman White in high school that were fun to watch.I will say it one more time-shut up and do your job.

You are the only one that seems to have a problem with anything that was said. He is doing his job and pretty damn well actually.

(12-22-2014 03:03 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  I will say it one more time-shut up and do your job.

He is doing his job. Interacting with the media is part of the operation. Nothing he said was inaccurate, nothing he said bashed the previous regime, and nothing he said was self-aggrandizing. It was an honest, correct answer, and he wasn't taking credit for what his veteran players are doing. The seniors are learning how to win after 3 years of losing and it's a good thing. Why is this so hard a concept to understand?

Again, you're grasping for reasons to dislike him. It's clear as day. Agenda-riffic.

(12-22-2014 03:03 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  The seniors he has are better players than last year's for sure and I am not sure he has much to do with that.

How about freshman Jordan Talley? The dude is playing with confidence and simply cannot be coerced into mistakes when the press comes. Does he not get credit for that?

What Keatts said was a compliment to the players, not a swipe at the previous coach. Take off your Bass/Keatts hate glasses and read what he said, not what you think he said.

Since a HUGE part of his obstacles this year is overcoming a mentality of losing for 6+straight years, complimenting the players by saying that this was a game they would have lost last year...but won... is needed. Again, he didn't say a word about the last coach. I fact, those words could be spoken even if he had been the coach, and the affect would have been the same.

Mullet loses credibility every time he posts.

(12-22-2014 03:03 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  I am looking at the entire picture and he is giving his team props for sure and himself.Freddie is playing great and I give Keatts a little credit for that and I give the player full credit for putting in the work.No doubt he takes a cheap shot at last year's team by saying they would find a way to lose-how could that be anything but a put down?The seniors he has are better players than last year's for sure and I am not sure he has much to do with that.I have been a Jackson fan since his days at NHHS and before.He had some nice battles with Stillman White in high school that were fun to watch.I will say it one more time-shut up and do your job.

Unbelievable. So, I guess you own the patent on being real. The seniors have zero problem with his approach. Just ask them. Never seen them so confident and cohesive. The problem last year was a lack of confidence. And that didn't just happen to appear out of thin air this year. Keatts has instilled that in them. There is a world of difference between this year's team and last year. And it is mostly the same team. The new piece is the coach. As much as I liked Moss and Peterson, they could not get that out of the players. Not consistently anyways. These kids are not as uptight and they are having fun, while at the same time, they are drilling hard in practice.

I take some of that back. Another thing that has made them better are the four transfers and Hickson. These guys have been wearing the starters, and the rest, out in practice. This year's team is not scrimmaging against a second string. They are scrimmaging against four starters.