Former players, coach react to NC State hiring Justin Gainey to lead program

By Noah Fleischman

If there was any coaching candidate on NC State athletics director Boo Corrigan’s shortlist, there was only one who was going to get the public backing from the Wolfpack’s former players right away: Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey. 

Gainey, a well-regarded assistant and former Pack point guard, received support from all over the NC State fan base. And inside former player group chats and phone calls, he was the one they all wanted.

Chris Corchiani, the program’s all-time leader in assists (1,038) and steals (328) from his four-year career in 1987-91, went as far as tweeting his endorsement for Gainey on Saturday morning. He wrote, in part, “Justin Gainey is going to be a great HC very soon, I hope it’s at his alma mater!”

And after becoming one of the top contenders for the job by Saturday evening, it ended up being Gainey’s job to accept. The news of the program’s new head coach being Gainey broke Monday morning, which TheWolfpacker.com confirmed just before 9:30 a.m. 

The immediate response around the fan base was positive, and that only was multiplied among the former players, especially after Will Wade’s messy departure following his first — and only — season in Raleigh. 

For Corchiani, the timing of being able to bring Gainey home after the blindside exit of the program’s former coach was perfect.

“To me, it’s the right hire at the right time,” Corchiani told TheWolfpacker.com by phone. “I think that everything that’s transpired with Wade’s exit and the way he handled that, it just feels right to have one of our own that is a total class act. It’s just the right time for him.”

Gainey, who interviewed for the job a year ago before Wade was awarded it, looked at this position as a destination job. That’s what Corrigan was looking for from the next coach, and even though he might not have led a program to this point of his career, Gainey is set to learn on the fly at his alma mater. 

But being able to do it at a program that he knows so well, aided by the fraternity of former players backing him, Gainey is set up for success. At least that’s what Corchiani, who is usually in the lower bowl of a fair amount of NC State home games each season, believes.

“I think everyone looks at one kind of person Justin is. He’s first-class all the way around. He’s the kind of guy that you want to root for, you want to support,” Corchiani said. “The fact he’s one of ours is just the cherry on top. I believe he was going to end up getting the Tennessee job. He was going to have a great career at some point, wherever he landed, and the timing was just perfect.”

Corchiani, however, isn’t alone. It’s not just the past generation of NC State players that is excited by Gainey’s arrival. The most recent alumni are just as eager to see it work out well. 

Just take it from Casey Morsell, who was a critical part of the 2024 ACC championship squad that made the miraculous run to the Final Four in Phoenix two seasons ago. Morsell, who currently is in commercial real estate, thought Gainey’s long résumé as an assistant coach will only be beneficial to his success now. 

Add in the fact that he already has an understanding of what he’s going to walk into when it comes to the program and its passionate fan base, and Morsell looked at Gainey’s hire as a net positive for NC State.

“It’s one of those things where he doesn’t need to pretend to understand or embrace the university,” Morsell said. “I think it’s one of those things, even as a transfer, you don’t fully understand the university in a year. It takes years of understanding the school to fully embrace it. … He knows what the student body is, the campus is and he knows what the school expects. It’s a good thing for sure.”

In addition to the former players that are excited to see Gainey take the helm of the program, so is his former coach — and two-time boss in his coaching career — Herb Sendek. 

Gainey was able to etch his name into the record book in his playing days under Sendek — including ranking second in career starts (103), fourth in steals (190), tied for fifth in games played (128) and ninth in assists (344) — while he began his coaching journey under the coach at NC State in 2006 and later joined his staff at Santa Clara in 2017. 

Sendek, who led the Wolfpack from 1996-2006 and just guided the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament this past season, shared a glowing review of his former player and later mentee in the industry. 

“Coach Gainey is the kind of leader you would want your son to play for and to represent your university. He is an elite recruiter, teacher and strategist, and as a distinguished Wolfpack alum, he brings commitment, pride and the ability to galvanize the Wolfpack Nation,” Sendek said via a statement from a Santa Clara spokesperson. “He is a proven winner, and I have no doubt that he will elevate the proud and storied Wolfpack basketball program to national prominence once again.”

Many around NC State’s former player — and coach — circles believe in Gainey. It’s evident that Corrigan does too. In order for the hire to work, it will require support from all over to back Gainey throughout his first head-coaching job. 

And, thus far, it seems that everyone is on the same page going into the new era of Wolfpack hoops.

“The Wade thing, I think everybody has a real bitter taste in their mouth,” Corchiani said. “It’s almost like having one of your own that’s loyal and is a class act, it just feels right.”