Progress isn’t always a slow process.

While the sample size is far too small to make any seasonlong projections, it appears the seeds for growth have been planted in Raleigh, N.C., where Kevin Keatts has taken over as North Carolina State’s head men’s basketball coach. Keats took over the reins following a six-year stint by former coach Mark Gottfried. Gottfried went 123-86 at the helm before being fired last February. The Pack finished 15-17 and lost 10 of its last 11 to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.

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The first sprouts of that growth are already coming up under Keatts. N.C. State hired him in mid-March after carrying UNC-Wilimington to back-to-back berths in the Big Dance the past two seasons. The Wolfpack are out to a 4-0 start in 2017-18 and have blown out opponents by an average of 24.5 points per game while utilizing a frantic pressing style of play.

While State fans should temper their expectations (all the wins have come at home and against the likes of VMI, Charleston Southern, Bryant and Presbyterian, teams with a combined 5-11 record and which accounted for 87 losses among them last season), the start is promising when compared to the Wolfpack's performance in non-conference play a year ago, when they logged two-point wins against Georgia Southern and Loyola-Chicago and a four-point victory against Boston University. N.C. State needed overtime to take care of the Ohio State Valley Conference's Tennessee State.

"It was good for us," Keatts said of his team playing its first four games over a seven-day span after its win over Presbyterian on Nov. 16. "I knew, when I made the schedule, that if we could get past this fourth game, no matter who we played, I thought it would give our guys tremendous confidence, especially with the way we play."

Despite losing former Dennis Smith Jr., last year's ACC Rookie of the Year and the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Wolfpack, led by junior Torin Dorn (18.5 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game) and seniors Lennard Freeman (16.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Allerick Freeman (15.5 rpg, 5.8 rpg) are averaging 90.3 points per game, No. 4 in a category they finished seventh among ACC squads last year at 75.2.

Add the exploits of two sophomores — point guard Markell Johnson (11.5 ppg), who's sixth in the nation with 9.0 assists per game, and center Omer Yurtseven (10 ppg, 4.0 rpg) — and N.C. State could have the makings of a balanced scoring attack, capable of competing once conference play begins.

Sam Hunt (7.0 ppg), a graduate transfer from North Carolina A&T, and former four-star recruit Lavar Batts (6.3), the top in-state prospect in the Class of 2017 (Concord, N.C.), have been key contributors, averaging 26.5 and 19.3 minutes per game, respectively. At some point, the Wolfpack will also have the services of senior Abdul-Malik Abu, who hasn't played this season while he recovers from an MCL sprain suffered during the offseason. The 6-8, 240-pounder is the team's top returning scorer (11.8 ppg in addition to seven rebounds per game last season).

"He gives us a guy that can score around the basket. He's probably our best rebounder. I'll make an argument for that," Keatts said. "And, also, he can step out to about 18 feet and knock down shots. I don't have a timetable (for his return). He's getting better every day. I may try to mix him in (during practice) a little bit more just to see, but he's not ready to play right now."

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Keatts turned things around at UNC-Wilmington in no time flat. In nine seasons prior to his arrival, the Seahawks had finished better than seventh in the Colonial Athletic Association once. They were first in each of his three seasons on the sideline. Their NCAA Tournament runs in 2016 and 2017 were the first concurrent ones in school history.

His impact is already being felt on the recruiting trail, too. The Wolfpack secured the signature of 6-10, 205-pound forward Derek Funderburk, the nation's top junior college recruit. Keatts has also gotten pledges from four-star wing Saddiq Bey and power forward Immanuel Bates to go along with Jericole Hellems and Ian Steer to round out a 2018 class currently ranked fifth in the ACC.

N.C. State will get its first real test of the season Wednesday when it faces No. 2 Arizona (3-0) in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. The Wildcats feature Sporting News preseason second-team All-American Allonzo Trier, a junior guard who's second in the nation in scoring at 30 points per game, and freshman sensation Deandre Ayton, who's averaging a double-double at 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds to go with 1.7 blocks a contest.

The result won't make or break the Wolfpack, but it'll help us all get a clearer picture of just how far along Keatts is in his latest rehab project.