Gainey Checks the Boxes For Corrigan, NC State

RALEIGH — Just 366 days after he arrived and promised a "reckoning" for college basketball, Will Wade departed NC State after just one season leading the men's basketball program to return to LSU. Fast-forward to Tuesday and the Wolfpack has its next leader, as the program will officially announce Tennessee's Justin Gainey as the 22nd head coach in program history.

On the day Wade flew to Baton Rouge with the power brokers who secured his return to the bayou, NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan spoke about the looming coaching search. During his press conference, he explained what he was looking for in the program's next head coach. With Gainey secured, many of the boxes Corrigan wanted to check are checked.

The Checklist

NC State's athletic director, as well as many other members of the program, believed the Wolfpack had its head coach for the future with Wade. Instead, they were abandoned and in search of a fresh start. Once the old coach was out the door, Corrigan jumped into action.

"We are committed to finding the next coach for our men's basketball program," Corrigan said. "Someone who wants to be at NC State, understands who we are, understands that we're a tough school, understands that we're a great academic institution and understands that our fan base has very high expectations and can embrace that."

Tennessee associate basketball coach Justin Gainey tells players to sub in during an NCAA college basketball game against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 21, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As soon as the position opened up, Gainey subtly met one of Corrigan's requirements. As a former player for the Wolfpack, returning to Raleigh has always been on the bucket list for Gainey. The timing never worked, but he called NC State "home" when he spoke to Tennessee media members ahead of the Volunteers' Sweet 16 matchup against Iowa State.

There was never any doubt about Gainey's interest in the job, especially after he received a glowing endorsement from his current boss, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. The defensive mindset and the grind as an assistant coach for two decades made Gainey a prime candidate to understand the toughness Corrigan wants from NC State's next coach.

Throughout Wade's lone season at NC State, he repeatedly showed a lack of connection and faith in his roster, but still blamed himself for its somewhat flawed makeup. Still, his messaging failed to get through to the players down the stretch, something that clearly stood out to Corrigan as he started another coaching search.

"We want to find someone who knows how to coach and is a great coach, and has the ability to connect with people, both internal and external, with the players," Corrigan said. "Be able to recruit. You have to be a good recruiter in this day and age... Have a plan to put your team together."

While never explicitly tasked with building a roster from top to bottom, Gainey's rise through the assistant coaching ranks was bolstered by his strong recruiting ability. Across stops at Santa Clara, Arizona, Marquette and Tennessee, he developed strong connections in the high school world, bringing multiple high-level recruits to those programs. Most recently, he helped get five-star freshman Nate Ament to Knoxville. Another box checked for Corrigan.

Maybe the most important part of the process for Corrigan was avoiding the same pitfall the program dealt with when it hired Wade. The controversial head coach bounced around during the early part of his career before landing at LSU. He was fired by the Tigers, embarking on a redemption arc of sorts at McNeese State. Corrigan doesn't want another one-and-done coach.

"I believe we're a school that someone can stay for 10 years and have an unbelievably great run here. So that's 100% what we're looking for," Corrigan said. "We don't want to be a stepping stone on the way to another job."

Given his connection to the program, Gainey would be in it for life with the Wolfpack if things go well. He offers the program true loyalty, something it never would've gotten with Wade. Now, the only question is whether Gainey can win games.