Gainey, NC State Poised for Busy Weekend of Transfer Portal Visits

RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball needs to get things going during transfer portal season under first-year head coach Justin Gainey. The program earned one commitment a week ago, but has sustained massive losses of production after an uneasy offseason started with Will Wade's surprising departure and return to LSU. For lack of a better term, the Pack is rebuilding under Gainey.

The process is starting to heat up as the Wolfpack zeroes in on a few new targets with three visits set over the course of the weekend. Gainey really needs to get some positive momentum going to avoid fan backlash, while also creating an early skeleton roster to then build on as more and more players enter the portal. Who is expected to be in Raleigh over the next few days?

C Anton Bonke - Charlotte

Bonke emerged as an option for the Wolfpack earlier in the week, but the interest appears to be strong enough that the 7-foot-2 center is interested in visiting the NC State campus during his recruitment process. With the arms race around the country for frontcourt depth, it will be tough for the Wolfpack to wipe away any competition in pursuit of Bonke.

In his last season with the 49ers, Bonke averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, all while shooting 57.6% from the field. The talented center is set to visit the campus on Sunday, with Gainey and his staff likely preparing to pull out all the stops to solve some of its frontcourt questions with a big addition.

G Preston Edmead - Hofstra

The visits opened on Friday, as NC State hosted former Hofstra guard Preston Edmead on campus earlier that day. Having already secured Santa Clara guard Christian Hammond as one piece of the backcourt puzzle, Gainey is still looking for another guard option for the coming season to replace some of the outgoing production at those positions.

In his freshman season with the Pride, Edmead averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds en route to CAA Rookie of the Year honors. He made 38.7% of his shots from 3-point range, attempting over seven per game. While he wouldn't be the biggest name the Wolfpack could add out of the portal, Edmead has the profile to be a potential lead guard for NC State.

G Malik Mack - Georgetown

The backcourt clearly became a priority over the weekend, as former Georgetown guard Malik Mack is also in line for a visit to NC State. Mack started his career in the Ivy League with Harvard before playing two seasons with the Hoyas. He's been productive throughout his entire collegiate career, averaging more than 10 points in all three seasons.

Mack's 3-point shooting plummeted during the 2025-26 season with the Hoyas, but he still managed to score 13.6 points per game, although he shot 38.1% from the field. He's averaged 4.4 assists across his career, so there is reason for optimism about his playmaking ability. Still, the 6-foot-2 guard wouldn't move the needle too much for the Pack on paper.

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