Tennessee’s Justin Gainey Emerges as Key Target in NC State Coaching Search

Image: USA Today Sports

By Aidan Sidoti

Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey has become one of the central figures in NC State’s search for its next head coach, joining Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz as a primary focus, according to Noah Fleishman of The Wolfpacker.

Gainey is in his fifth season on Rick Barnes’ staff and has nearly two decades of Division I coaching experience, including stops at Arizona, Marquette, and Santa Clara.

The NC State alum would be stepping into the head coaching role vacated by Will Wade, who spent exactly 366 days leading the Wolfpack before returning to LSU for his second stint as the Tigers’ head coach. Gainey addressed the speculation Thursday before Tennessee’s Sweet Sixteen matchup, acknowledging the noise while making clear his attention remains on the Vols.

“We have been so locked in here and you kind of see the noise and not really knowing what is real and what is not,” Gainey told VolQuest. “NC State is a great place. It is home. I don’t know what they’ll do or what direction they’ll go in. I hadn’t really heard much.”

Gainey and Tennessee face No. 2 seed Iowa State tonight at 10:10 p.m. ET with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, as the Vols continue their push toward the program’s first Final Four.