Projecting the NC State Men's Basketball Rotation for the 2026-27 Season

RALEIGH — While it might feel like yesterday for many NC State fans, it's now been over a month since the administration hired alumnus Justin Gainey to be the next men's basketball coach for the program. Since then, it's been a whirlwind of roster construction, building out a staff and establishing a new programmatic identity to continue the upward trajectory of Wolfpack basketball.

The transfer portal proved to be particularly lucrative for the first-year coach, as he largely built out his first roster with talented mid-major and high-upside players, in hopes of competing right away, while also planning for the future. Gainey also retained one critical piece of the puzzle in Paul McNeil. Now, his task is to fit the new pieces together, making the Pack competitive right away.

Breaking down the rotation

The fatal flaw for NC State during the 2025-26 season under former coach Will Wade was a lack of frontcourt depth and size. While the Wolfpack is set to have a nice group of guards under Gainey, just as it did under Wade, there were significant improvements made to the positional size and versatility that the group can deploy by the time the 2026-27 season gets underway.

Starting Five

G - Preston Edmead (Sophomore, transferred from Hofstra)
G - Christian Hammond (Redshirt junior, transferred from Santa Clara)
G - Paul McNeil (Junior, returner)
F - Eemeli Yalaho (Senior, transferred from Washington State)
C - Kyle Evans (Senior, transferred from UC Irvine)

Key Reserves

G - Darius Adams (Sophomore, transferred from Maryland)
G/F - RJ Keene (Senior, transferred from Boise State)
F - Zymicah Wilkins (Redshirt freshman, returner)

Projects/Future pieces

G - Kingston Whitty (Freshman)

What will things look like?

There are a couple of certainties when it comes to assessing the future style of Wolfpack basketball. For one, the team will be much stronger defensively than it was under Wade, even with returners like McNeil and Wilkins from that regime. Gainey established a reputation during his time at Tennessee as one of the best defensive coaches in the country, making a player like Evans, the nation's leading shot blocker during the 2025-26 season, so important.

McNeil, Edmead and Yalaho might not fit that mold perfectly on paper, but Gainey proved he could develop players into adequate defenders within a scheme, while also showing a willingness to adjust. That lack of flexibility was a fatal flaw for Wade's staff, as his roster never fully grasped the frenetic, high-pressure defense he wanted to play. Gainey surrounded himself with several different voices on the bench to help balance out his own pedigree and style with outside opinions.

The other certainty is that NC State will maintain its 3-point shooting prowess that was developed last year. The Wolfpack became one of the best offensive teams in the ACC because of its ability to light up opponents from distance. The return of McNeil and additions like Edmead, Hammond, Yalaho and Adams make it somewhat obvious that the Pack won't stray from firing away.

Adams is interesting because he was a strong shooter as a prep and former McDonald's All-American, but struggled mightily in his first season with Maryland in a much larger role than he expected as a freshman. Gainey and Co. will need to rebuild his confidence and turn him into an incredibly valuable bench piece. He and Keene each offer quality wing size and could be the backbones of a defensive-oriented bench unit.

Beyond Yalaho and Evans, there are some questions about the Wolfpack's frontcourt depth. A transformed version of redshirt freshman Zymicah Wilkins is ready to be the answer to some of those questions, especially on the offensive end. The belief is that the forward is a capable shooter from distance and has the build necessary to play physical offensively inside.

NC State is still on the hunt for one more big man to help relieve some of the pressure Evans is facing as the primary rim protector and defensive anchor for the program. Keene certainly answers a lot of defensive responsibility in theory and is a low usage player that should thrive under Gainey. As things stand, the Wolfpack might not have the same talent level it had in the 2025-26 season, but the roster has more of an identity and some nice balance to it.

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