The Type of Player Justin Gainey Wants at NC State

RALEIGH — NC State hired Justin Gainey to be the 22nd head coach in program history, replacing Will Wade after just one season at the helm before he bolted back to LSU. Since his hiring and introductory press conference on April 1, Gainey has been hard at work assembling a staff and operating in the transfer portal to get Wolfpack men's basketball ready for the coming season.

As portal season churns and teams make big splashes, NC State is using a methodical approach and sticking to its targets early on. However, Gainey actually provided the Wolfpack's blueprint for the transfer portal well before it opened, all the way back at the presser. It was there that he explained what types of players he wanted for the Pack right away.

Gainey wants competititors

Tennessee associate basketball coach Justin Gainey tells players to sub in during an NCAA college basketball game against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 21, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When he played at NC State under Herb Sendek from 1996 to 2000, Gainey established himself as a fierce defender and competitor, despite being an undersized guard. Throughout his coaching career, he identified players who shared similar traits, much like Zakai Zeigler at Tennessee, who thrived under Gainey. Now, he wants the same competitive spirit back in Raleigh.

"We're gonna compete every day with toughness, and we're gonna compete together, because at the end of the day, we're in this to win and we're in this to win big," he said at his introduction. "... And the only way that happens is competing at the highest level in everything you do... I hope you guys are ready for that."

Positional size is the key

NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan wouldn't have hired Gainey if he didn't think the first-time coach had a plan to address some of the major roster issues the Wolfpack experienced under Wade. One major problem during the 2025-26 season was the team's inability to compete from a positional size standpoint, as the Pack got overmatched by larger rosters repeatedly.

"When I think about my roster and what I want it to look like, ideally, I do want to have depth in the frontcourt," Gainey said. "I do want to have size in the frontcourt and on the wings as well. It is my vision that we'll have some depth and that we'll have size up front."

Size on the wings usually comes with a level of versatility that NC State didn't have during the 2025-26 season. So far, the Wolfpack is targeting a pair of 6-foot-4 guards in Christian Hammond and Bishop Boswell, both of whom offer the physical traits Gainey articulated during his introductory press conference.

As for the frontcourt depth, two solutions might still be in the building. As of Sunday, Musa Sagnia and Zymicah Wilkins have yet to enter the transfer portal and could be kept for a reasonable cost. That would allow Gainey to take some swings on high-end frontcourt talent to potentially pair with Boswell and Hammond, fulfilling his vision for a competitive and versatile roster in Raleigh.