Former teammates, Wolfpack greats praise new NC State coach Justin Gainey
Former players and longtime friends are celebrating Justin Gainey's return to NC State as the new men's basketball head coach , calling the moment a long-earned milestone for a onetime Wolfpack point guard who spent two decades working his way up the coaching ranks. D. J.
McDuffie, who played prep with Gainey at Greensboro Day, said he saw this future coming. "We played together in high school. So I've known him since we were 16 years old," he said.
"He was our point guard, right? I mean, so he led the team. You know, Coach (Freddy) Johnson put a lot of things on his shoulders, and he just handled it with class.
He was our leader. " Other former NC State point guards were also on hand to welcome Gainey back. Chris Corchiani, an NC State floor general from 1987-1991, beamed with pride that a fellow alum and point guard now takes the reins as head man.
Raw video: Justin Gainey was introduced as the new head coach at NC State on Wednesday. "They say the point guard is the extension of the head coach. And Justin certainly was that the four years here that he was a four-year starter," Corchiani said.