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What NC State’s MBB Roster Looks Like 10 Days Into Portal Season

Justin Gainey has a lot of work to do, but there's plenty of time to make things happen for the Wolfpack.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State AD Boo Corrigan, men's basketball coach Justin Gainey and Chancellor Kevin Howell pose at Gainey's introductory press conference at the Lenovo Center on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
NC State AD Boo Corrigan, men's basketball coach Justin Gainey and Chancellor Kevin Howell pose at Gainey's introductory press conference at the Lenovo Center on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

RALEIGH — The men's basketball transfer portal opened April 7, just after the 2026 National Championship game ended with Michigan on top following a dominant season. The urgency for numerous Division-I programs started right then and there, as teams began putting together their rosters with transfers as soon as thousands of players jumped in looking for new homes.

Following the messy exit from former head coach Will Wade, NC State quickly moved to hire Tennessee associate head coach and program alumnus Justin Gainey as its new head coach, bringing a family feel back to Raleigh. Gainey brought a reputation as an elite recruiter to the Wolfpack, hoping to use his connections to build a strong, but smart first roster. So far, things aren't moving very quickly.

Where do things stand for NC State?

With Wade leaving, NC State saw most of its production from the 2025-26 season leave, both through the transfer portal and because of exhausted eligibility. As things stand, the Wolfpack has just one player left from last season's roster, meaning a complete rebuild is well underway for Gainey and his newly assembled staff. Who is still on the team from a year ago?

  • Zymicah "Mikey" Wilkins, F - 6-foot-9, 230 pounds (According to Wilkins himself, listed at 260 before the season)

    • Wilkins wasn't a starter, never even seeing the floor after he decided to use a redshirt. Whether Wade stayed or left, there was always going to be fairly significant roster turnover in Raleigh after the up-and-down season and Wade's promises of sweeping changes to the roster. He didn't stick around to make them. Like his teammate and fellow frontcourt player Musa Sagnia did Thursday, Wilkins could still enter the portal easily.

    Justin Gainey
    NC State men's basketball coach Justin Gainey speaks at his introductory press conference in the Lenovo Center on April 1, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

    So far, Gainey has made just one addition to his first roster at NC State, bringing in Santa Clara combo guard Christian Hammond, a talented All-WCC player in his one season of real playing time under former NC State coach Herb Sendek out West. While Hammond is a nice start to the portal process, he isn't likely to be the focal point for the Wolfpack.

    NC State made pushes for other players during the first week of the portal being open, particularly honing in on one of Gainey's old players from Tennessee, Bishop Boswell. He ultimately picked Maryland over the Pack, lowering morale amongst NC State's fan base as other schools load up in the portal.

    Roster chart

    Guards

    Forwards

    Christian Hammond

    Mikey Wilkins

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    Published | Modified
    Tucker Sennett
    TUCKER SENNETT

    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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