NC State is finalizing a deal to hire Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey, a former Wolfpack guard, to replace Will Wade as head men’s basketball coach, a source familiar with negotiations said.
Gainey, 49, just completed his fifth season with the Vols under Rick Barnes, his third as associate head coach. Tennessee advanced to the Elite Eight in all three of those seasons — losing to Michigan on Sunday at Chicago’s United Center — after reaching just one regional final in its prior history. This is Gainey’s first head coaching job.
Wade stunned NC State by leaving after one season to coach again at LSU, which fired him in 2022 after he was accused of five NCAA Level I violations, including impermissible payments to recruits. Wade’s lone NC State team finished 20-14, earning an NCAA Tournament bid and losing in the First Four to Texas.
Gainey takes over one of just 15 Division I programs with multiple national championships, with resources believed to be in the top third of the ACC, and just two years removed from a surprise run to the Final Four. But it’s also a program that has reached just eight of the past 19 NCAA Tournaments.
Gainey played at NC State from 1996 to 2000 under Herb Sendek, finishing his career fourth in program history in steals (190) and ninth in assists (344). He started his career in basketball operations at NC State, and his assistant stops before Tennessee included Arizona and Marquette, where he was associate head coach in the 2020-21 season under Steve Wojciechowski.
“I hope he gets the job,” Barnes said of Gainey on Saturday. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that loves NC State more than Justin Gainey. … A terrific basketball coach. I mean, if you come to our walk-throughs, like today or the other day, he scouted the last game. I don’t say a whole lot because those guys have it.
“But Justin has an incredible feel for the game, really understands players. He works at it. Terrific recruiter. Understands the NIL era today. If NC State knew what I knew, they would be begging him to be their next head coach. Because he’s ready not just for NC State, he’s ready to be the head coach of the University of Tennessee or any school in the country. He’s that good.”
