Former NC State basketball players endorse Justin Gainey as new basketball coach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Former Wolfpack players praised Justin Gainey at his introductory event.
- Gainey has Tennessee experience, NIL familiarity and high school/AAU ties.
- Immediate tasks include assembling a staff and addressing the April 7 portal.
A year ago, Will Wade was named N.C. State’s new basketball coach. In a fit of hubris, he promised a little of everything to everybody who supports the Wolfpack, smiling all the way.
Justin Gainey did not do that Wednesday. Introduced as the Pack’s next head coach, he talked more about hard work and development and being competitive in the classroom and on the court. No braggadocio.
Much was made of Gainey “coming home.” He’s from High Point. He played high school ball at Greensboro Day. He wore the Wolfpack uniform for four seasons under coach Herb Sendek, starting 103 games at point guard in the late-1990s. He knows about the N.C. State basketball legacy, is a part of the N.C. State basketball legacy.
Some of Gainey’s former teammates were on hand Wednesday, including Damon Thornton, Jeremy Hyatt and Ishua Benjamin. They joined a host of other former Wolfpack players in the Arena Club at Lenovo Center, which was jammed for the event.
“I had the opportunity to play with Justin as a freshman, and you knew from the time he hit the court he was kind of an extension of the head coach,” Thornton said Wednesday. “For him to have the success he’s had in coaching is not a surprise to me, because I saw the potential there even as an 18-year-old.
“Now, in his journey, he has held every position you can have as a coach and now this opportunity comes along to be the head coach. So I think the timing is right, and I think he’s prepared for it and knows what it takes. And at the end of the day, this is his alma mater, so you’ll never have to question how hard he’s going to work.”
Been here before?
Then again, a lot of the same things were said when Sidney Lowe took over as the Pack’s head coach in 2006. There was the same optimism.
Lowe was the senior point guard on State’s magical run to the 1983 NCAA championship. He was well-versed on everything Wolfpack and could relate to the athletes’ needs and wants. As a long-time NBA assistant coach, he could recruit with the pitch of helping them reach basketball’s highest level.
After his press conference at the Dail practice facility, Lowe went out to address fans who had waited two hours in the stands at the Paul Derr Track.
“I’m back to restore this thing and hopefully continue the glory days,” Lowe said that day in 2006. “We have some excellent athletes that are capable of doing some special things.”
Lowe, then 46, had no college coaching experience, although his staff — Monte Towe, Larry Harris and Pete Strickland — had a lot. The Pack did not reach the NCAA Tournament in Lowe’s five years as coach, although some of his recruits — C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown in the class of 2010 — did get the Pack to the NCAAs under Lowe’s replacement, Mark Gottfried.
‘Perfect fit’
Gainey, 49, was associate head coach at Tennessee under Rick Barnes but comes in with no head coaching experience. But the college landscape has changed quickly and dramatically, said Chris Corchiani, another former Wolfpack point guard.
“It’s much different,” Corchiani said Wednesday. “Justin’s been around the college game a long time with a number of different (head) coaches and dealt with the NIL that’s involved, so I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two.
“I do believe if we give Justin the resources he needs, we’re gonna win.”
It is widely believed the Wade staff had $10 million in NIL support this past season and that Gainey might have as much as $14 million, although no one confirmed that.
“The college athlete is still a college athlete, although I know they’re trying to make it professional basketball,” former Pack guard Ernie Myers said Wednesday. “Justin can relate to that. NIL is here now and I think he’s been involved with that at Tennessee. I think he understands it and he’ll get it done.”
Added former forward T.J. Warren: “He’s very well-respected and he knows the in’s and outs of college basketball. I’m excited to see him flourish in this new role.”
Twenty years ago, a new coach would build his team through high school recruiting. The NCAA transfer portal now offers the chance to build quicker and with older players, although the best high school players are still coveted.
One of the Pack’s top recruits, Cole Cloer, was a 4-star forward and top-30 player nationally. The Hillsborough native, who attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, has enrolled at NCSU and was at the press conference, saying he was “excited” about Gainey’s selection to replace Wade.
Cloer, Mikey Wilkins and Jayme Kontuniemi were the only current Wolfpack players at the event.
“Sidney didn’t know a lot of high school coaches and Justin knows high school coaches, knows AAU coaches,” Corchiani said. “I just think Justin is the perfect fit for where this program is right now.”
With the portal opening April 7, Gainey has much work to do and not a lot of time to do it. That includes putting a staff together.
“He has done a great job at Tennessee and recruited well there, and I think he can come and command attention and get some good players here,” Myers said. “He has a defensive philosophy that helped them win games at Tennessee and I think that will translate here for the Wolfpack.
“I think he knows what the school needs and wants. He’s paid his dues and I think it’s his time.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM.
