What Justin Gainey is looking to prioritize in the transfer portal

By Noah Fleischman

Justin Gainey stood on a temporary stage located on the Lenovo Center’s club level, two stories above NC State’s playing surface. On a warm early April day, overlooking a sheet of ice for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, the Wolfpack’s new coach laid out his clear vision for his program.

Toughness is going to be the theme of every roster that Gainey assembles in Raleigh. It’s the clear trait that allowed him to be a four-year starting point guard at NC State, and it’s going to be what fuels each of his teams moving forward. 

Gainey was adamant about that trait: “As I think about the main characteristic of NC State, we’re tough,” he said.

A gritty mindset will be needed, especially since the Pack is expected to play standout defense under Gainey, leading the coach and his staff to do their homework on who they elect to bring in. 

And with the transfer portal officially open Tuesday, the Wolfpack has a clear understanding of the types of players it wants to attract in college basketball’s free agency. NC State isn’t going to sign players for the sake of it, rather each addition will be methodically thought out. 

“I want to recruit high-character student-athletes who embrace the standard and take pride in wearing that jersey,” Gainey said. “I understand the era we’re in right now, where rosters are fluid. Maybe you have a guy for one year, maybe it’s two years. I get it. I promise you, and I’ll do my best through the vetting system that low-character will not exist in my program.”

Gainey, who spent the past five seasons at Tennessee with each of the last three as the Volunteers’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator, wants to model his program similarly to what Rick Barnes has at Rocky Top. 

What would that mean for NC State? It’s going to pursue players that fit the mold of what Gainey believes belongs within his program. The off-the-court qualities matter, and so do a blue-collar work ethic and what they can do on the basketball court. 

Gainey is looking for standout positional size. From his point guard all the way to his center, the 49-year-old wants to be able to rattle opposing offenses with waves of players who can accomplish the defensive scheme that found success in Knoxville.

With that in mind, it’s likely that the Pack has up to four big men that can rotate in to play at a high level.

“When I think about my roster and what I want it to look like, ideally I want to have depth in the front court,” Gainey said. “I want to have size in the frontcourt and on the wings as well. It is my vision that we’ll have some depth and size up front.”

The two early positions to keep an eye on in the transfer portal are at point guard and power forward. Gainey values those two spots on his roster higher than the rest, likely allocating his roster funds to target elite talent at both positions.

NC State will be busy looking to craft a roster in the coming days and weeks. The transfer portal is open, but teams can’t host any prospects until the dead period lifts on April 10. After that, it’s full steam ahead in Raleigh.

But no matter who Gainey and his staff — currently aided by assistant Riley Collins and analytics guru Patrick Stacy — look to acquire with the expected roster-building budget of more than $10 million, NC State is going to focus on its “high-character” targets in the transfer portal.

“We’re going to ask all the questions that need to be asked, have all the uncomfortable meetings to find the right guys,” Gainey said. “We’re going to be active, we’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to be very competitive in the transfer portal.”