yahoo - 3/30/2026 4:55:25 PM - GMT (+2 )
NC State has found its replacement for Will Wade. The Wolfpack are hiring former NC State guard Justin Gainey as their new basketball head coach, three people with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday, March 29 and Monday, March 30.
Gainey, who just wrapped his fifth season on Rick Barnes' Tennessee staff Sunday when the Vols lost to No. 1 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight, interviewed in person with NC State officials Saturday in Chicago, sources confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The news was first reported by On3's Mike Wilson.
The sources spoke on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Just a year after being hired, Wade abruptly left NC State last week to return to coach at LSU.
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Boo Corrigan, NC State's athletics director, has spearheaded the search to find Wade's replacement since Wade left in the days after the Wolfpack's NCAA Tournament First Four loss to Texas.
Over the weekend, the search zeroed in on Gainey, Furman coach Bob Ritchey and Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz; all had in-person meetings with Wolfpack officials, sources told USA TODAY Sports. Schertz posted on social media Sunday saying he will remain at Saint Louis.
The NC State contingent met Saturday with Gainey in Chicago, where Tennessee was between games in the Midwest Region.
A Greensboro, N.C., native, Gainey starred for the Wolfpack from 1996-2000, being named a team captain as a senior and then spent his first four seasons as a collegiate staff at his alma mater from 2006-09.
A candidate at NC State during the last search that resulted in the hiring of Wade, Gainey also has served as the associate head coach at Marquette (2020-21) and for the past four of his five years at Tennessee.
He is considered a particularly strong developer of guards and is credited with helping eight players become NBA draft picks during his past six seasons as a collegiate assistant.
Gainey's previous coaching stops also include Elon, Appalachian State, Arizona and Santa Clara.
As Coorigan embarked on the Wolfpack's second basketball search in as many years, he ripped Wade on Thursday, March 26, in a news conference on the school's Raleigh, N.C., campus.
"We thought we had someone that came in last year to lead our men's basketball program," said Coorigan, who a year ago fired Kevin Keatts after his eight seasons at the helm included a 2024 Final Four appearance. "Over the course of the last year, we developed a relationship that I believe was based on trust and accountability.
"There were a number of different conversations that had occurred over the past year involving our program, the landscape, and everything else — including Tuesday evening (March 24) for two hours to talk about the entire program, scheduling, the players, the staff, and everything that goes into that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Gainey hired by NC State basketball, replacing Will Wade
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