NC State announces hiring of former Wolfpack player Justin Gainey as men’s basketball coach

By Canadian Press on March 31, 2026.

N.C. State moved quickly to hire one of its own to lead the Wolfpack men’s basketball program.

The school announced the hiring of Tennessee assistant coach and former Wolfpack player Justin Gainey as head coach on Tuesday. That came five days after the departure of Will Wade after one season for a second stint at LSU.

N.C. State had an agreement in place with the 49-year-old Gainey to start the week, then its board of trustees approved the deal in an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon to make the hiring official. The school will hold its introductory news conference Wednesday for Gainey, who signed a five-year deal.

“This university helped build me as a player and as a person,” Gainey said in a statement. “To now lead it as head coach is truly a full-circle moment.

“There’s a responsibility that comes with leading your alma mater, and I embrace it fully. We’re going to honor our tradition, represent this university the right way, and build a program our Wolfpack family can be proud of.”

Athletic director Boo Corrigan passed on hiring a search firm to assist on his second coaching search in as many years, promising to hire someone who “wants to be at N.C. State for a long time.” Ultimately, that meant bringing in an instate native and Wolfpack guard from 1996-2000.

“Not only are we welcoming back one of our own, but we are welcoming a tough, tenacious and experienced coach who I am confident is the right fit for our program and will continue to position the Pack for success on the national stage,” Corrigan said in a statement.

N.C. State also talked with Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz, who guided the Billikens to the second round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Schertz and athletic director Chris May both told local reporters that Schertz had talked with N.C. State, though Schertz posted a statement on social media Sunday saying he was returning.

Gainey served as the Volunteers’ associate head coach under Rick Barnes since the 2022-23 season, when he also took over as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Defense was a key piece of Tennessee’s run to the Elite Eight for three straight seasons, with the Volunteers ranking third, third and 14th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metrics.

Gainey started his coaching career at N.C. State as an administrative coordinator and later as director of basketball operations. He was also an assistant at Marquette, Arizona, Santa Clara, Appalachian State and Elon.

Gainey inherits a program with tradition highlighted by winning national titles in 1974 and 1983 — the latter being the famed “Cardiac Pack” run helmed by the late Jim Valvano — as well as an unlikely to run to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title followed by the Final Four just two years ago.

Still, consistent success has been tricky to maintain.

The remarkable 2024 run under Kevin Keatts marked the program’s first wins in the NCAA Tournament since a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015 under Mark Gottfried, with the Wolfpack missing five of seven tournaments and experiencing a pair of first-round exits in 2018 and 2023. Keatts was fired after the Wolfpack crashed to 12-19 following the Final Four run.

Wade’s bravado-filled arrival last year included promises of a “reckoning” for the ACC and nationally. N.C. State started 18-6 before collapsing, with a First Four loss to Texas sending the Wolfpack into the offseason with eight losses in 10 games.

Then came Wade’s abrupt departure, exactly two weeks after he proclaimed he was determined to win big with the Wolfpack amid speculation about a possible LSU return.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Aaron Beard, The Associated Press