NC State officially hired former Wolfpack point guard Justin Gainey as its next men’s basketball head coach, the University Affairs Committee announced Monday. Gainey will replace Will Wade, who left the program last week to return to LSU.
The committee voted unanimously to approve Gainey’s employment agreement following a closed session that lasted more than 30 minutes. Trustees Isaac Carreno, Derick Close, David Herring, Wendell Murphy, Robin Perkins, Perry Safran and Chair Ghazale Johnston all voted in favor.
Gainey played for NC State from 1996 to 2000 and began his coaching career on campus from 2006 to 2008. He has spent the past five seasons on Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes’ staff, the last four as associate head coach. Gainey has also served as an assistant at Elon, Appalachian State, Santa Clara, Arizona and Marquette.
NC State enters the coaching transition after a 20-14 season that included a First Four loss to Texas in the NCAA Tournament. Wade led the team to an 18-6 start before losing six of its final seven games. His sudden departure caught the program by surprise less than three weeks after he reassured fans of his future at the university.
“Is the job open there? No. Let me be very clear. I’m excited at NC State,” Wade said March 12 after NC State’s loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament. “I was hired at NC State to do a job. This wasn’t going to take one year. I’ve already met with our administration about next year and some of the changes that we need to make and some of the things that we need to do to put this program where it deserves long term.”
After the fallout with Wade, McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan wanted to avoid making the same mistake twice.
“We need to make sure that we have a person that’s committed to this University, that wants to be at this University, that shares our values of trust and accountability,” Corrigan said.
In Gainey, the program hopes to have found that person. Gainey’s resume includes a storied career as an NC State point guard, years of coaching the Tennessee Volunteers’ elite defense and experience recruiting some of the country’s highest-ranked players.
The biggest part of his appeal is his loyalty to NC State. After hiring a head coach one year ago who appeared to consider leaving Raleigh while the season was still ongoing, Wolfpack decision-makers did not want to make the same mistake twice. Unlike with other candidates, there was no doubt that Gainey wanted this job.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that loves NC State more than Justin Gainey,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, who has coached with Gainey since 2021. “He has just incredible pride in his University.”
When Gainey finished his career with the Wolfpack, he was top 10 in program steals, starts and assists. He became the first freshman in ACC history to play all 40 minutes in four straight ACC tournament games.
After years of postseason drought before him, Gainey’s Wolfpack reached the NIT in all four of his years. He captained the team his senior year and was known on the court for his toughness. Former NC State head coach Herb Sendek, who coached Gainey at State from 1996 to 2000, described him as “rock solid.”
“He shows up every day and does what he’s supposed to do,” Sendek said. “ … He shows up the next day and does the same thing and gets a little bit better.”
Barnes doesn’t think that Gainey’s work ethic has gone away in the time since his playing days.
“He was an incredibly tough competitor then, and he has that same tenacity now as a coach,” Barnes said.
Recruiting in North Carolina is always a challenge for NC State, with two of the best recruiting programs in history, Duke and North Carolina, situated half an hour down I-40. Time will tell if Gainey is up to that challenge, but he did bring the state’s highest-ranked 2023 recruit to Tennessee according to 247Sports.
This year, Gainey was primarily responsible for bringing five-star recruit Nate Ament to the Volunteers. Ament has developed a defensive edge throughout the season and is projected as a top-10 pick in the NBA by many outlets.
While Tennessee coach Rick Barnes was always known for defensively-minded teams, the Volunteers reached a new level with Gainey. After Gainey joined the staff, Tennessee finished four consecutive seasons with a top-three KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency. Barnes’ Volunteers had never done that before. In fact, they had only finished in the top five once.
“Justin has an incredible feel for the game, really understands players,” Barnes said just before NC State hired Gainey. “If NC State knew what I knew, they would be begging him to be their next head coach.”
Time will tell if Barnes’ enthusiasm for his protege is warranted.
