Gainey, NC State Turning to Different Transfer Portal Options
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RALEIGH — The cupboard was always going to be nearly empty for Justin Gainey after he took over the NC State men's basketball program after former coach Will Wade bolted for LSU. The program alumnus deliberately worked the transfer portal in his first few weeks on the job, but there are still some major needs remaining across the roster after the first six additions to the team.
One of those needs was in the frontcourt, but the latest target, South Dakota State transfer Damon Wilkinson, committed to Nebraska before ever getting to Raleigh. Rather than waiting around, Gainey and his new staff got right back to work and identified one new target previously mentioned by NC State On SI as a potential fit for the Wolfpack moving forward.
Abdi Bashir makes sense
While NC State still needs frontcourt help, bringing in yet another high-level 3-point shooter might be too much to pass on for Gainey. The first-year coach is leveraging a connection to Kansas State in one of his assistants, Matthew Driscoll, who just left after serving as the Wildcat interim head coach in the 2025-26 season. That connection could help the Pack reel in talented sharpshooter Abdi Bashir. The junior met with NC State via Zoom on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
Driscoll helped Bashir average 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just 18 games last season in Manhattan, Kan. The 6-foot-7 wing shot 44.4% when he was available, a blistering number while attempting 8.4 triples in each game. Bringing in Bashir makes sense if the Wolfpack is truly concerned about the Paul McNeil saga ending in the local guard leaving NC State for a different school. It's still unclear where McNeil stands, but Bashir would be a logical replacement.
What about the frontcourt?
NC State didn't just lose Wilkinson on Thursday. Another coveted big man with ties to Raleigh went off the board on the same day, as Ole Miss forward James Scott committed to Georgia. The 6-foot-10 forward is a native of Fayetteville, N.C., so a return made sense, but not at the price Scott was being shopped around at by his representatives.
Gainey doesn't seem satisfied with his frontcourt makeup of Kyle Evans, Zymicah Wilkins and Eemeli Yalaho thus far and for good reason. NC State doesn't have the positional depth to compete in the ACC with just those two bigs, especially after whiffing on some bigger fish. The program could still, in theory, bring back Musa Sagnia, but it seems likely that Gainey will continue shopping in the portal for another big.
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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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