Why Justin Gainey Should Shift Focus to High School Recruiting at NC State

RALEIGH — For the second straight offseason, NC State men's basketball finds itself in a state of transition. The program went through yet another coaching change, something no one in the administration thought would be the case in the immediate aftermath of the team's NCAA Tournament exit at the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Now, it's Justin Gainey's program to run.

The first-year coach arrived from his previous post as associate head coach for Tennessee and quickly assembled a staff. Then came roster construction, which Gainey completed largely through the transfer portal, bringing in a host of new faces to carry the program in his first season. However, it's time for the new leader of the Wolfpack to shift his focus to building up NC State for the future, rather than the present.

Why now?

The transfer portal talent well is almost entirely dried up. Any remaining options for the Wolfpack would be on the lower end in terms of capability of playing in the ACC and would likely be more of a risk than a reward. Gainey has the skeleton of a rotation in place, with a few things still left to work out in the building. However, the blueprint for his first roster is there, with returning guard Paul McNeil at the center of those plans.

NC State went out and paid for premium mid-major players with the upside of being high-major talents because of their potential. At this point, it's unclear what's left of the program's initial budget, but it's safe to assume most of that money has already been allocated to the players currently signed on to be a part of the 2026-27 season in Raleigh. Rather than scrounge up more dollars for next season's team, Gainey can get a leg up on the following years instead.

What can the Wolfpack do to build for the future?

Throughout his many stops as an assistant, Gainey established a strong reputation as a recruiter, securing top players like Josh Green (Arizona), Nico Mannion (Arizona), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Bishop Boswell (formerly Tennessee, now Maryland). He also aggressively recruited his home state, North Carolina, which aligns perfectly with his goals at NC State, his alma mater.

When he was introduced at NC State, he indicated that he wanted to aggressively recruit in North Carolina, keeping as much talent home as possible. That process is already underway, as the Wolfpack earned a commitment from three-star guard Kingston Whitty and hosted 2027 five-star CJ Rosser for an unofficial visit during the offseason.

The Wolfpack administration wants Gainey to be a long-term solution, unlike the band-aid coach it hired in Will Wade. That should give the new leader some leeway when it comes to early success, although the program is in a position to compete immediately with the talent rostered through the transfer portal. Still, NC State will have to find other ways to battle the top teams in the ACC, many of which possess absurd resource pools to pull from.

The best way to do that is to win as many recruiting battles as possible, which NC State should be in line to do with an elite recruiter like Gainey running the show. Keeping in-state talent home and developing it will go a long way in improving the Wolfpack's national standing, while also hopefully turning it into a perennial contender for the top four of the ACC. It will be a test of patience, but if it works, the program will be in a better place in the long-run.

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