NC State alumnus Justin Gainey returns home as next men’s basketball coach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- N.C. State hires alumnus Justin Gainey as men’s basketball coach.
- Gainey stresses recruiting the types he wants and restoring Wolfpack 'home'.
- Chancellor, former teammates and mentors attended and voiced support.
Justin Gainey bought a T-shirt, but he couldn’t get Final Four tickets. He watched the game from his hotel.
Gainey, despite coaching at Tennessee, wanted a piece of his alma mater’s historic run in the 2024 ACC Championship and NCAA Tournament. Almost two years later, Gainey still has the T-shirt somewhere in his closet … and the title of N.C. State men’s basketball coach.
The university formally introduced Gainey on Wednesday at Lenovo Center, officially signaling his return to the Wolfpack. He played at N.C. State from 1996-2000 and was briefly on staff early in his post-playing career.
“This is a surreal moment for me,” Gainey said. “It’s like a dream come true that still hasn’t fully set in. … This is a special place with a proud tradition, and I don’t take any of this lightly. I don’t take any of these responsibilities lightly. I know what comes with it. I was born here in North Carolina. Played here at N.C. State. I understand what being on Tobacco Road is all about.”
Chancellor Kevin Howell called Gainey, from High Point, “one of our own.”
His former boss, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, recently said there’s no one who loves N.C. State more.
Gainey and NC State are all about home
Gainey shared the types of players he wants to recruit, the kind of coach he wants to be. And, most importantly, he explained what the Wolfpack means to him and how he wants his own players to experience the same feeling of “home.”
The new coach spoke about the 1996-97 team that made the ACC Championship after winning three games, beating Georgia Tech, Duke and Maryland to earn a spot in the title game. Gainey still talks with his teammates, and some attended his introduction. He described the feeling of seeing members of older teams, such as Chris Corchiani and Chucky Brown, return to campus. They provided advice, a listening ear and positive examples of what the Wolfpack was supposed to be about.
Gainey remembers Board of Trustee and donor Wendell Murphy flying on the team’s charter flights when he was a player. They’d sit together and talk for the entire trip.
Murphy made the initial phone call about the job last week.
“His presence was always around,” Gainey said. “That was 35 years ago. We still have those relationships.”
He also described the passion of the fanbase, which is loyal and devoted. Gainey wants his players to possess unbreakable bonds with each other and with those who support the program.
His words were full of the love Barnes described.
‘Blood is in the bricks’
Gainey, 49, didn’t know if he wanted to coach. His first job after playing overseas was at Gold’s Gym in Cary, shortly after his eldest son was born. Gainey then became an assistant at Cary Academy, moving up to the eighth grade coach. He eventually took an internship with Lee Fowler, at the recommendation of Herb Sendek, which changed his view on college athletics.
He found his way back to N.C. State under Sidney Lowe in 2006. Gainey’s coaching career took off from there. It took him all around the state — to Elon and Appalachian State — all the way to Santa Clara, California. His wife, Courtney, and three sons were by his side.
His middle son, Jayson, was the most excited to hear Gainey was a candidate for the job and witness the “whirlwind” of the past week. When N.C. State offered Gainey the position — N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan said only one was made — everyone was excited. Gainey said his parents were “ecstatic” and his father “couldn’t contain himself.”
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Gainey said of the outpouring of support. “I knew if it wasn’t that many people, I could fill it up with my family. Everybody was excited and ready to go.”
Gainey returns to Raleigh after working with some of the biggest names in the business and now gets to bring that experience to the Pack, 30 years after he stepped on campus as an undergraduate, and 20 years after he started his career in college athletics.
He expects to continue meeting with players in the coming days and assembling his staff. Right now, Gainey and the program are just happy he’s home.
“As a former point guard, Justin knows what it takes to manage a team. As a former captain, he knows what it takes to be a strong leader,” Corrigan said. “As a two-time N.C. State graduate, he understands the love we all have for this university.
“To quote (head football coach Dave) Doeren, ‘Justin’s blood is in the bricks.’”
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 4:55 PM.
