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Taking care of your Loved One Is What We Do BEST!

It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always

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Home Care In Seward, NC

Home Care Seward, NC

They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.

However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Founders Monument gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Seward, NC is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.

 In-Home Care Seward, NC

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The Always Best Care Difference

Since 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.

Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.

The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.

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TESTIMONIALS

“Looking for a placement is always difficult for a family. Contacting Sandy to help was the best option. She was familiar with all assisted living/memory care facilities around town and was quick to respond to the family with tours. She delivered FL2 forms to physician's and made the transition an easy process. I recommend Sandy 100 % for any family needing a smaller community for their elderly family member.”

MATTCH
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TESTIMONIALS

“I have been working for ABC for two years now, and I am very grateful for my position. The staff are acceptable, the clients are lovely, and the environments are professional. I highly recommend PCAs and CNAs to apply.”

Samantha T.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Such a wonderful place to work! Caregivers that genuinely care with office support that go above and beyond for staff/clients. Highly recommend for employment and senior in-home care support.”

Kelly P.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I bn with this company for Abt a year and I love working for them . They work with you,they care about ur personal life/ problems, really good at matching you with good clients..”

Ffbjj B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I cannot say enough good things about this company and the caregivers they provided after my mom's recent accident and stay in a rehab facility. The staff were constantly in communication with us keeping us abreast of any little or big updates. Their attitudes were always helpful and they seemed to genuinely care. The caregivers they sent to sit with and take care of mom were EXCELLENT. I'm not sure how many different caregivers she had over the few weeks of her stay but there wasn't a single one that wasn't kind and extremely helpful. It took a tremendous load off of everyone in our family knowing that she was being well cared for when we couldn't be there. Thank you to Brandi, Joanne, Gina, and anyone I'm missing for everything you all did for us from the beginning of the process all the way to my mom's release today. Hopefully, we won't need your services again, but if we do, I know who I will be calling!”

Beth G.
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TESTIMONIALS

“This company is TOP-NOTCH! Incredibly helpful and super friendly. If you’re looking for a part-time in caregiving, this is it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”

MJ F.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Sandy is very knowledgeable of assisted living options in the Winston Salem area. She helped with a family member’s search with care and consideration. We highly recommend.”

Meredith K.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I highly recommend Sandy Bowen with Always Best Care. I called her with a very tight timeframe to find a suitable memory care facility for my family member. She asked a lot of questions about my loved one to try and get to know her as much as possible. She worked very fast and lined up several appointments for us to tour places within a matter of days. She explained the process to me every step of the way and made sure we stayed on track. She attended the appointments with me and asked questions that I would never think to ask. I can’t thank her enough.”

Ginger M.
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TESTIMONIALS

“The staff and caretakers are wonderful. Would absolutely recommend to anyone who needs at home care for themselves or loved ones”

Michael B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“These folks are so helpful! They care about their clients and it shows in the service! I highly recommend ????”

Mary E.
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TESTIMONIALS

“The staff and caretakers are wonderful. Would absolutely recommend to anyone who needs at home care for themselves or loved ones”

Phillip B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“During an unexpected hospital stay, Joanne provided much needed assistance. She provided excellent care and supportive advocacy. It made dealing with the discomfort more bearable and gave me a safeguard to decipher the complicated choices to resolve health issues. I highly recommend this service.”

Barry C.
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TESTIMONIALS

“If you are looking for attentive, quality home care look no further than Joanne and her team. A passion for excellence is driven for from this team. Family oriented and willing to work with all families.”

Laura M.

What is Non-Medical Senior Care in Seward, NC?

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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.

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When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

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The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

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At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

 Senior Care Seward, NC

Types of Elderly Care in Seward, NC

To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:

Personal Care

Personal Care Services

If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.

Common personal care services include assistance with:

  • Eating
  • Mobility Issues
  • Incontinence
  • Bathing
  • Dressing
  • Grooming

Respite Care Seward, NC
Home Helper

Home Helper Services

Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.

Common home helper care services include assistance with:

  • Medication Reminders
  • Meal Preparation
  • Pet Care
  • Prescription Refills
  • Morning Wake-Up
  • Walking
  • Reading
 Caregivers Seward, NC
Companionship Services

Companionship Services

Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Kenai Fjords National Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.

Common companionship services include:

  • Grocery Shopping
  • Transportation to Appointments
  • Nutritional Assistance
  • Conversation
  • Planning Outings
  • Completing Errands
  • Transportation to Community
  • Events and Social Outings
Home Care Seward, NC
Respite Care

Respite Care Services

According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local The Cookery or visit Iditarod Historic Trail Statue Mile 0, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.

At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.

If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.

 In-Home Care Seward, NC

Benefits of Home Care in Seward, NC

Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:

Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.

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Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?

A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.

With the help of elderly care in Seward, NC, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.

Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.

In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

 Elderly Care Seward, NC

Affordable Care

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

If your loved one qualifies, Medicaid may help reduce in-home care costs. Review your NC's Medicaid program laws and benefits, and make sure your senior's financial and medical needs meet Medicaid eligibility requirements.
Attendance and aid benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.
Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.
Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.
Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.
 Senior Care Seward, NC

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers.

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Seward, NC understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

Assisted Living Referral Services

While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.

Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.


Respite Care Seward, NC

At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.

Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:

  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry
  • Recreational Activities
  • Social Outings
  • Emergency Medical Response
  • Medication Monitoring
  • Family Visitation
  • Personal Care
 Caregivers Seward, NC

At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.

Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.

Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:

  • Kinship Pointe at Seward
  • Greene Senior Living
  • Providence Seward Mountain Haven
  • Seward Senior Citizens Center
  • Tranquility Care Of WinstonSalem
  • Clearview Haven Assisted Living
Home Care Seward, NC

For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.

 In-Home Care Seward, NC

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way

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A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive

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Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider

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Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Seward, NC 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

 Elderly Care Seward, NC

Latest News in Seward, NC

Loyas switches to NC State

SOCCERGladys Loyas was so committed to playing soccer at St. Bonaventure that she still planned to play there after head coach Manoj Khettry, the main reason Loyas picked the school in the first place, stepped down to pursue other opportunities this offseason.Then her phone started ringing.Loyas, a senior at S.S. Seward, started getting calls from coaches at Syracuse, Buffalo and North Carolina State, all of whom were trying to recruit the player who had scored 145 goals and had 64 assists as a five-year varsity starter....

SOCCER

Gladys Loyas was so committed to playing soccer at St. Bonaventure that she still planned to play there after head coach Manoj Khettry, the main reason Loyas picked the school in the first place, stepped down to pursue other opportunities this offseason.

Then her phone started ringing.

Loyas, a senior at S.S. Seward, started getting calls from coaches at Syracuse, Buffalo and North Carolina State, all of whom were trying to recruit the player who had scored 145 goals and had 64 assists as a five-year varsity starter.

After visiting Buffalo and North Carolina State, Loyas decided to switch her commitment, accepting a full scholarship from N.C. State.

"It's actually kind of bittersweet that the coach at St. Bonaventure left," Loyas said. "I feel like North Carolina State is actually giving me a bigger opportunity than I ever thought. I could never imagine going to a school that big, so I'm really happy with everything and how it worked out."

North Carolina State finished the 2012 season with a 5-14-0 record. The Wolfpack will welcome first-year head coach Tim Santoro to campus along with Loyas. Santoro had previously served as an assistant at Wake Forest, including the 2011 team that earned a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Loyas, who was recruited to play striker, will look to add some offense to the Wolfpack's game plan. N.C. State finished the 2012 season on a 12-game losing streak, scoring eight goals during that stretch.

"The coaches were really nice. The girls were nice," Loyas said of her recent visit to the campus in Raleigh, N.C. "They all seem really competitive like they want to win. I want to be in that environment and be challenged in my soccer. I felt like I'm constantly going to be pushed and that really drew me to the school."

Loyas aims to major in psychology and one day hopes to study neuropsychology in graduate school.

At Seward, she was a member of five Section 9 Class C title-winning teams, including the 2008 team, which won a state championship.

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NC State Fires Coach Kevin Keatts a Year After Improbable ACC Title and Final Four Run

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — It was less than a year ago that Kevin Keatts and N.C. State took over March, taking a wild ride to the program's first Atlantic Coast Conference title in nearly 38 years followed by an improbable run to its first Final Four in even longer.And now, Keatts is out of a job.N.C. State fired Keatts on Sunday, an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure that saw the program'...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — It was less than a year ago that Kevin Keatts and N.C. State took over March, taking a wild ride to the program's first Atlantic Coast Conference title in nearly 38 years followed by an improbable run to its first Final Four in even longer.

And now, Keatts is out of a job.

N.C. State fired Keatts on Sunday, an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure that saw the program's fall this year prove too much to overcome even when framed against last season's remarkable finish. The announcement came a day after the Wolfpack closed a 12-19 season and failed to even qualify for the ACC Tournament as the reigning champion.

“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to N.C. State and for always representing the university with class,” athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a statement. “He will always have a treasured place in Wolfpack history for the accomplishments of his 2023-24 squad and I appreciate the passion he brought to this role. We wish him and his family the best in the future.”

Keatts posted his own statement on social media, calling the past eight years “a dream come true."

“As we enter this new era of college sports, I wholeheartedly believe that I am leaving the program in better position to succeed than when I started — and that the basketball program will continue to thrive when supported to the level necessary to compete,” Keatts said.

He signed off with a nod to players being able to transfer freely in a rapidly evolving college sports landscape.

“I am officially entering the portal,” Keatts said.

Keatts' base contract ran through April 2030, which had included a two-year extension automatically triggered with last year's postseason milestones. N.C. State would owe Keatts at roughly $6.9 million in base salary alone to buy out the rest of the deal, according to the contract.

Keatts went 151-113 at N.C. State, including 69-84 in ACC play. His teams earned three NCAA Tournament bids, the last coming when the Wolfpack followed a five-games-in-five-days ride to their first ACC Tournament title since 1987 with a just-as-unexpected run to the program’s first Final Four since the late Jim Valvano led the “Cardiac Pack” to the 1983 NCAA title.

It was difficult to imagine that Keatts would be out of a job a year later.

But he couldn’t sustain that momentum as this season turned into a wipeout, with the Wolfpack's retooling through the transfer portal — which had worked well enough to get N.C. State to back-to-back NCAA bids — proving to be a major miss. N.C. State went just 5-15 in league play, suffering the ignominy to miss the 15-team ACC Tournament in an expanded 18-team league.

That included going 0-11 on the road, an ugly mark considering Keatts had made it a tradition for the team to get ice cream after road wins. The finale came with the Wolfpack giving up the last 10 points in Saturday’s loss to a Miami team that had won just six games all year.

The firing comes after Keatts faced multiple challenges in his tenure, starting with stabilizing a wobbly program on the court and then working for years amid the shadow of a federal corruption investigation into the sport that was tied to predecessor Mark Gottfried’s tenure. That case hovered for years before the program was placed on a year of probation in December 2021.

Ultimately, Keatts had five 20-win seasons but never delivered a consistent winner that Wolfpack fans have desperately craved, with the wild swing from the past 12 months illustrating that problem.

He arrived in 2017 from UNC Wilmington promising that “Kevin Keatts is a winner” in his introductory news conference. In many ways, he matched that, particularly after the program had bottomed out in Gottfried’s final two seasons after four straight NCAA bids. Keatts started with a 21-win season that included taking down highly ranked Duke, UNC and Arizona teams before reaching the NCAAs.

That was the first of the 20-win seasons, though one ended with the Wolfpack falling on the wrong side of the bubble on Selection Sunday (2019) and had another likely bid vanish when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament. Then came two years of struggles, notably with a program-record 21 losses in 2022 before the final two-year upturn that culminated with last year's remarkable run.

And just as abruptly, it's over.

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NFL legend Bill Belichick is coaching practices again. Only now he's a college rookie at UNC

ASSOCIATED PRESS4 minute readCHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, a familiar home for the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach.Only now the setting is a small college town. And instead of that familiar hoodie, he was instead decked in a navy blue short-sleeved quarter-zip top and ballcap, along with mesh shorts in that distinctive shade of Carolina blue.The 72-year-old is a rookie in college coaching, opening his first set of spring practices this week since...

ASSOCIATED PRESS

4 minute read

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, a familiar home for the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach.

Only now the setting is a small college town. And instead of that familiar hoodie, he was instead decked in a navy blue short-sleeved quarter-zip top and ballcap, along with mesh shorts in that distinctive shade of Carolina blue.

The 72-year-old is a rookie in college coaching, opening his first set of spring practices this week since taking over at North Carolina as part of that school's audacious bet to upgrade its football program.

“That's the great thing about being a head coach — I can coach anybody I want,” Belichick quipped at his pre-practice news conference Wednesday. "I can coach the line, I can yell at the tight ends, I can yell at the DBs, I can yell at the kickers.

“I can go to any group I want and coach them. And honestly, that's the fun part.”

When the news conference ended, Belichick started to walk away from the podium when he realized he left his whistle behind. He paused, picked it up and blew a short quick chirp — offering a bit of a symbolic start to spring drills for the media, anyway.

Belichick was hired in December and had a signed contract for a five-year deal — though only the first three years are guaranteed with $10 million annually in base and supplemental salary — a month later. The goal is to build a pro-style model at the college level, creating what amounts to a “33rd” NFL team as general manager and former NFL executive Michael Lombardi put it last month.

He had continued appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and had been spotted in social media posts from the recruiting trail or attending men’s basketball games at the Smith Center, but he hadn’t spoken to local reporters since his introductory news conference nearly three months ago.

The Tar Heels opened spring practices Tuesday, then let media members watch about 20 minutes of Wednesday's practice — though Belichick stood behind the end zone roughly 50-plus yards away from where they were allowed to observe.

Throw in the fact that the players aren’t wearing numbers, and it was hard to pick up much of anything in that brief window.

His news conference proved more revealing in that regard, with Belichick providing fuller answers than the terse and grumpy responses he was known for with the New England Patriots. That included talking about the new wrinkle for him of having spring practices in pads at the college level, something that wasn't the case in the NFL.

He pointed to his time being around the Washington program as the Huskies prepared to enter the Big Ten before this past season. His son, Steve, worked there as defensive coordinator and Belichick said the progress made during those sessions last spring was “remarkable.”

Now he gets to try it with his own program in Chapel Hill.

“The response has been great,” Belichick said of connecting with teenagers and college-age players as opposed to NFL veterans in their mid- or late-30s. "It's kind of similar to what a rookie minicamp would be and time with the rookies. Granted, those kids are a little bit older, but they're coming in from all different programs and different situations.

"So it's starting to put everything together: here's how we do things, here's what our expectations are, this is what you need to do to be successful. They've embraced that, they've tried to do it."

Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady during most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots that included those six titles, most recently coming in the 2018 season. That run in Foxborough ended after the 2023 season, leaving Belichick with 333 career regular-season and postseason wins to trail Don Shula by just 14 for the NFL record.

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He had been linked to NFL jobs after his exit from the Patriots, but nothing materialized — and soon, Belichick had made his first jump into college football after the Tar Heels moved on from Mack Brown as the winningest coach in program history.

UNC formally announced his coaching staff earlier this week, featuring a mix of NFL and college experience. The list includes former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens as a holdover from Mack Brown’s staff, as well as sons Steve (defensive coordinator/linebackers) and Brian (defensive backs/safeties).

Belichick said it's too early to know how things will go with roster management for the upcoming season, including when it comes to the transfer portal for additions and departures after the 15-practice spring session concludes April 12.

UNC's longer-range target is a college-version of Monday Night Football, with the Tar Heels hosting TCU on Labor Day to open Belichick's tenure.

“We'll go out there and do what we do and see what happens, see how it goes," Belichick said.

“I know we have a good plan. I know we can do the right things to help the players improve, help the team improve and put a good product on the field.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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