N.C. State Hires Homegrown Coach Gainey

0:00NC State just locked in some stability for their men's basketball program by hiring Justin Gainey as the new head coach. The 49-year-old alum steps in after Will Wade bounced to LSU after just one season. Gainey, who played guard for the Wolfpack back in the day, signed a five-year deal and spoke at his intro presser in Raleigh on Wednesday, April. First, 2026. Earlier this week, the school announced the move, pulling Gainey from his associate head coach spot at Tennessee under Rick Barnes. Wade's exit caught everyone off guard, especially with his history tied to that FBI probe on College Hoops Corruption during his first LSU run. Fans didn't hold back, tracking Wade's private jet from Ban Rouge and showing up to boo him at the airport as he rolled out in a red Tahoe. As let a director Boo Corrigan shouted out the Wolfpack crowd's toughness at the presser, even cracking a joke about the plane chase going too far. Gainey hit on rebuilding trust right away, stressing he'd never cut corners for quick

1:00wins and wants to role model integrity for his own sons and the program. Corrigan backed him up, pointing to Gainey's deep roots. He scored the first bucket in the Lenovo Center during his plane days from 19. 96-2000. With Gainey's track record from early staff roles that stay through stops at Elon, AppState and more, the packs betting on homegrown grit to steady. The ship and fire up that loyal fan energy for the long haul. Local news, powered by AI, this is Durham News Today, I'm Corrigan with the story.