3 Remaining Portal Needs for NC State Men's Basketball
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RALEIGH — Justin Gainey arrived at NC State and immediately started rebuilding a program left disheveled after the messy exit of former coach Will Wade. The work started with assembling a staff and quickly moved to building the first Wolfpack roster under the new head coach. Three transfer portal additions later, and the Pack is off and running under Gainey.
Preston Edmead, Kyle Evans and Christian Hammond became the first three additions of the Gainey era, each bringing different skills to the table. Still, with the massive loss of production to graduation and transfers, NC State has major roster holes to fill. With the portal closed to new entries, the pool of available players is what it is. What are the remaining priorities for Gainey and his staff?
A floor stretching big man
By adding the Big West Defensive Player of the Year in Evans, NC State locked in its top rim protector and should feel comfortable defensively in the frontcourt. However, the Wolfpack could still use some additional offensive production from one of its other frontcourt players, especially from beyond the 3-point line, if such a player is still out there.
Gainey and Co. appeared to be locked in on former Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen, who visited last weekend, but the stretch four chose Oregon as his next school over the Wolfpack. Many of the initial options for a productive offensive forward are off the board now, but the Pack could go hunting in the mid-major levels for another quality option to pair with Evans in the frontcourt.
Athletic, defensive-minded wings
As the defensive coordinator at Tennessee, Gainey established the Volunteers as one of the stingiest defensive units in the country. His groups in Knoxville were physical and athletic, built around stables of wings who could guard multiple positions and make running offense very difficult for the opposition every possession of a game.
So far, the Pack only has Hammond and Edmead in the backcourt. The former might be capable of growth defensively, but the leap in competition in the ACC will be difficult for both players on that end of the court. Finding some wings with length and versatility will go a long way in creating the tough culture Gainey wants in Raleigh.
A 3-point specialist
NC State remains in pursuit of Paul McNeil as a retention possibility, but should he opt to transfer, the team needs to find another 3-point specialist to play alongside Edmead and Hammond. With the former creating offense off the dribble for himself and his teammates, he will be most effective as a lead guard with talented shooters around him.
The 3-point shot was critical to the Wolfpack offense under Wade, almost to the point of dependency. That proved to be an Achilles heel for last season's roster, something Gainey will want to avoid. However, that doesn't mean NC State shouldn't still have a cadre of shooters it can lean on offensively, especially if more frontcourt help enters the equation. Retaining McNeil or bringing in two other players to replace his production from deep is essential.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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