3 Sleeper Transfer Portal Targets for NC State Basketball

RALEIGH — Justin Gainey is balancing building a staff and a roster at NC State in his first offseason as head coach of the Wolfpack. Transfer portal season is well underway, with over 1,000 players looking for new homes and next chapters for their collegiate careers. Gainey hopes to find a batch of talented, high-character players to build his first team with.

While the Wolfpack is targeting some higher-profile players in the portal, it might need to look in some more outside-the-box areas for underrated talent. With so many names floating around the portal, there were always going to be diamonds hidden in the rough, which could be a niche area for NC State under Gainey, who boasts a reputation as a strong recruiter and evaluator.

Under-the-radar targets for the Wolfpack

Camren Hunter - G, Central Arkansas

Gainey saw Tennessee have success dipping into the low and mid-major levels for talent, developing said players into valuable contributors over time with the Volunteers. The Wolfpack could take a swing with Camren Hunter, who played a pair of seasons at Central Arkansas before a detour to Wisconsin, followed by a return to the Bears, where he was highly productive.

Hunter averaged 21.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his senior season with the Bears and is actively pursuing a waiver to play another season, per On3. While his first stint at a high-major didn't go well, Gainey and NC State would offer the talented guard another shot to prove his value against top-of-the-line competition. If he replicated even 75% of his production from the 2025-26 season for the Pack, it would be a massive addition.

Chance Gladden - G, Boston University

At his introductory press conference, Gainey indicated that he wanted to take over North Carolina from a recruiting standpoint. That same sentiment applies to the transfer portal, where the Wolfpack could easily target Raleigh native Chance Gladden, a talented guard from Boston University who looks ready to make a jump to the high-major level.

Gladden averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his freshman season with the Terriers, helping the team to the Patriot League final against Lehigh, where they came up painfully short of an NCAA Tournament bid. Gladden didn't excel in either of his outings against Big 10 competition, scoring under 10 points in losses to Penn State and Northwestern.

Abdi Bashir Jr. - G/F, Kansas State

NC State brought in Kansas State associate and interim head coach Matthew Driscoll in a similar assistant capacity for Gainey. The Wolfpack could leverage a connection with Driscoll's former program. Will Wade's staff pursued P.J. Haggerty last spring, but missed out when he chose the Wildcats. Gainey and Driscoll can avoid the same mistake chasing a white whale and instead look closely at Abdi Bashir Jr., a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter.

Bashir played 18 games at Kansas State, where he blossomed into an elite shooter after two seasons at Monmouth. He scored 13.2 points while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range at Kansas State, dropping from his prolific 20.1 points per game at Monmouth. He already has attention from some high-profile programs, but Driscoll could help Gainey make a run at the sharpshooter.