Why Retaining Zymicah Wilkins Means a Lot For NC State

RALEIGH — When Justin Gainey took over the NC State men's basketball program, it was a time of serious uncertainty, especially when it came to the roster. Most of the key producers were seniors anyway, meaning they would be gone had Will Wade chosen to return for a second season leading the program. However, some weren't done with the college experience quite yet.

Zymicah Wilkins, a former four-star recruit, redshirted in his first collegiate season under Wade, using that time to figure out his body and improve as a forward. Now, the North Carolina native is back with the Wolfpack under Gainey's watch and could be in line for an even larger role as one of just two returning players from the 2025-26 roster, despite not seeing any action last season.

Frontcourt depth

After committing out of Christ School as a top 100 recruit in the country, Wilkins opted to stick around through one coaching change, as NC State replaced Kevin Keatts with Wade from McNeese State. When Wade and his staff first got their hands on Wilkins, he was 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, definitely on the heavier side of where he needed to be to contribute at the ACC level.

Rather than burn a season of eligibility while working on his body, Wilkins redshirted and underwent a total transformation. By the time NC State made it to Dayton for the First Four, the forward was down a reported 30-plus pounds, according to Wade and Wilkins himself. Before the former coach bolted for LSU, he indicated Wilkins would be a part of the long-term plans with the Wolfpack, especially after proving he could get his weight down significantly in a fairly short amount of time.

Zymicah Wilkins @zymicah_wilkins strong take to the bucket gets Christ School to within 8 pic.twitter.com/qn86shrUqA
— Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) February 2, 2025

With the mass exodus of outgoing talent, as well as a major need for frontcourt depth to compete with the best programs in the ACC, Wilkins could see an increased role under Gainey, who seems committed to furthering the development of the former highly-touted recruit. Wilkins might not be the end-all, be-all solution to NC State's quest for more positional size, but his background as an offensive player should be helpful, especially because he can stretch the floor with his shooting.

Wilkins collaborated with NC State to push out a social media video reiterating his commitment to the program. Not long after, rising junior guard and sharpshooter extraordinaire Paul McNeil announced his return to the Pack as well. If those two can be bridges between the transfer additions and the NC State culture next season, Gainey might be further ahead of schedule than some might expect.

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