Gainey Completes Critical Staff Hires With One Final Piece

RALEIGH — Following Will Wade's decision to leave NC State and return to LSU after just one season, the athletic department scrambled to find its next leader, eventually landing on former player and veteran assistant Justin Gainey. Since hiring Gainey, the new leader of the Wolfpack has been hard at work putting together a staff and roster for his first season at the helm.

Gainey made his staff official on Friday, announcing four assistant coach hires -- Alvin Brooks III, Riley Collins, Matthew Driscoll and Anthony Goins -- as well as a key fifth addition. Bill Comar is set to become NC State's director of operations under Gainey, joining the Wolfpack after spending the last season at Cincinnati as the chief of staff.

What adding Comar means for the Wolfpack

New additions to the staff – Welcome to the Pack! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/ufKbjoCoIV
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) April 10, 2026

Comar is the cherry on top of a very well-assembled staff for Gainey. The longtime assistant coach and administrator brings a wealth of experience that should help the Wolfpack's first-year head coach learn the intricacies of being a leader for the first time in his career. At his introductory press conference, Gainey indicated a desire for different backgrounds on his staff to help balance things out as he takes in his first season.

Adding a member of the staff with the background that Comar possesses will go a long way in recruiting and organizing the team. After beginning his career as an assistant and a director of operations at Dayton, he went on to become the director of ops at Xavier, where he contributed to six trips to the NCAA Tournament.

I've mentioned this multiple times, but I want to reiterate two moves for NC State:

- Asst. GM Patrick Stacy (@PatrickJStacy) is being retained
- Former Cincinnati Chief of Staff Bill Comar will take over the same role.

Both were mentioned here: https://t.co/RmzgohHF4F pic.twitter.com/uzLJMnvlE8
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) April 9, 2026

In total, Comar contributed to 18 postseason appearances and 12 NCAA Tournament berths across stops at Ball State, Cincinnati, Dayton, Xavier and Indiana.

Gainey's thoughts on the staff

NC State men's basketball coach Justin Gainey speaks during his introductory press conference on April 1, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

The Wolfpack's need to put a staff together was at the top of Gainey's to-do list after he was hired. The robust mix of voices from different conferences, backgrounds and philosophies will make NC State a very different program than it was under Wade. The new head coach released a statement with the official announcement of the new assistants joining the program.

"I couldn't be happier to have these five coaches join me at NC State," Gainey said. "This coaching staff brings championship experience and a mindset towards a relentless commitment to winning. More importantly, they also understand our goal is not only to compete for championships, but to build a program that develops complete student-athletes. We are here to develop our players on and off the court, build strong leaders, and prepare these young men for success in life."