Paul McNeil Chooses to Stay at NC State for Junior Season

RALEIGH – NC State is in the midst of a roster rebuild under first-year coach Justin Gainey, but Monday brought news of one crucial piece sticking it out with the program for another year under yet another new coach.

Paul McNeil is staying with the Wolfpack for his junior season after entering the transfer portal to explore options elsewhere, according to an Instagram post from McNeil himself on Friday. It’s a massive win for Gainey in the roster-building process, as McNeil provides a bridge between the previous history of the program and the flurry of newcomers joining NC State out of the transfer portal. Gainey will be the third coach McNeil has played for since joining the Pack under Kevin Keatts.

More on bringing McNeil back

Gainey and his staff are getting one of the premier 3-point shooters in all of college basketball back in Raleigh. As a sophomore playing for Will Wade, McNeil experienced an incredible breakout after seeing the court sparsely as a freshman under Keatts. The sharpshooter’s confidence grew greatly under Wade’s staff and he played himself into NBA Draft consideration.

McNeil finished the season averaging 13.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. He shot a blistering 43.3% from 3-point range as a sophomore, burying 3.1 triples on 7.2 attempts per game. At times, the talented guard looked like the best shooter in the country, often dragging the Wolfpack back into games with his green light.

In 20 games against ACC competition, McNeil’s numbers stayed around the same, still knocking down 3-point shots at a 43.3% clip. He finished the regular season at 42.7%, which topped the league, beating out other sharpshooters like Benny Gealer (Stanford) and Braeden Shrewsberry (Notre Dame).

McNeil flirted with other programs throughout the transfer portal process, reportedly meeting with UNC and its new head coach, Michael Malone, at one point. There was always a belief that the guard wanted to stay in his home state of North Carolina, having grown up just down the road from Raleigh in Rockingham. Despite reported interest from SEC programs and other members of the ACC, McNeil decided to stay loyal to the soil.

There were also rumors that former NC State coach Will Wade was strongly interested in bringing McNeil to LSU and made fairly significant financial promises. The guard chose the Pack over the Tigers and might go down as the biggest victory of the transfer portal process in the program's first year under Gainey.

As for the basketball aspect of keeping McNeil, NC State has its trio of go-to guards solidified for the 2026-27 season. Gainey earned portal commitments from Hofstra guard Preston Edmead and Santa Clara guard Christian Hammond, both of whom shot over 38% from 3-point range last year with their former programs. With McNeil back in the fold, the Pack is going to be filling it up from deep once again.

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