NC State Earns Commitment From Former McDonald's All-American
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RALEIGH — Over the last four weeks, first-year coach Justin Gainey worked to assemble a coaching staff and roster for NC State men's basketball after taking over the program at the beginning of April. The transfer portal proved to be a significant part of the roster-building process, as the Wolfpack added a sixth new transfer to the mix on Wednesday.
NC State secured a commitment from former McDonald's All-American guard Darius Adams, who played his freshman season at Maryland in the Big 10. The one-time five-star prospect joins a completely revamped backcourt in Raleigh with hopes of achieving the lofty expectations in place for him when he was a high school recruit. That's what the Wolfpack is banking on.
More on Adams joining the Wolfpack
NC State snuck the 6-foot-5 guard in for a visit over the weekend after engaging with the talented guard over the last week. Given the commitment, the visit went well, likely because Gainey had aggressively recruited Adams as the associate head coach for Rick Barnes at Tennessee before returning to his alma mater as head coach this offseason. Adams chose Maryland over several high-major programs, including Tennessee.
As many highly-touted freshmen do, Adams struggled in his first collegiate season. Part of his problems stemmed from the fact that Maryland boasted an incredibly flawed roster after an expected coaching change, which ended with Buzz Williams taking over the Terrapins. Adams averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists, while shooting 35.4% from the field and 24.8% from 3-point range.
Adams became the first high-major player to join NC State from the transfer portal, as the previous five additions played for mid-majors during the 2025-26 season. There's confidence that Adams' slow start to his collegiate career was a bump in the road more than an indicator of what's to come, as he has too much talent as a youngster to believe that's his ceiling.
NC State expects the shooting numbers to improve drastically, especially playing in a system more tailored to what works for Adams as a player. Gainey has a proven track record of developing guards and brought in assistants who are capable of doing the same, especially former Georgia assistant Anthony Goins. If Goins clicks with Adams, this could end up being a steal for the Wolfpack.
Gainey made Adams the sixth addition of his first transfer class in Raleigh. The former Maryland guard will join Preston Edmead (Hofstra), Christian Hammond (Santa Clara), Eemeli Yalaho (Washington State), Kyle Evans (UC Irvine) and RJ Keene II (Boise State). The Wolfpack still has roster spots to fill, especially in the frontcourt. Adams should mark the last significant backcourt addition.
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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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