NC State officially hires Justin Gainey as new men's basketball coach: 'Full circle moment'
"There's a responsibility that comes with leading your alma mater, and I embrace it fully," Justin Gainey said after the Board of Trustees approved his hiring.
The NC State Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, where Justin Gainey was officially approved as the new men's basketball coach. Gainey, 49, who has spent five seasons as an assistant with Tennessee, played for the Wolfpack from 1996 to 2000 and later began his foray into coaching as an administrative coordinator at the school from 2006 to 2008. He will replace Will Wade, who left the Wolfpack last week after just one season to return to LSU.
One of our own šŗ Welcome home, @CoachGainey ! pic. twitter.
com/LX5QkJELia ā NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) March 31, 2026 "I am honored to announce Justin Gainey as our new head coach for the NC State men's basketball program," said McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. "Not only are we welcoming back one of our own, but we are welcoming a tough, tenacious, and experienced coach who I am confident is the right fit for our program and will continue to position the Pack for success on the national stage. Justin understands what this program means because he has lived and breathed it, and I am very excited that he is our basketball coach.
" Gainey was on NC State's short list last year and was believed to be one of the final candidates before the Wolfpack hired Wade. Longtime assistant coach Justin Gainey is expected to get his first head coaching job at his alma mater, NC State. /Rick Scuteri "I'm humbled and honored to be the head coach of the NC State men's basketball program," said Gainey.