RALEIGH — Just 366 days after he arrived and promised a “reckoning” for college basketball, Will Wade departed NC State after just one season leading the men’s basketball program to return to LSU. Fast-forward to Tuesday and the Wolfpack has its next leader, as the program will officially announce Tennessee’s Justin Gainey as the 22nd head coach in program history.
On the day Wade flew to Baton Rouge with the power brokers who secured his return to the bayou, NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan spoke about the looming coaching search. During his press conference, he explained what he was looking for in the program’s next head coach. With Gainey secured, many of the boxes Corrigan wanted to check are checked.
The Checklist
NC State’s athletic director, as well as many other members of the program, believed the Wolfpack had its head coach for the future with Wade. Instead, they were abandoned and in search of a fresh start. Once the old coach was out the door, Corrigan jumped into action.
“We are committed to finding the next coach for our men’s basketball program,” Corrigan said. “Someone who wants to be at NC State, understands who we are, understands that we’re a tough school, understands that we’re a great academic institution and understands that our fan base has very high expectations and can embrace that.”
As soon as the position opened up, Gainey subtly met one of Corrigan’s requirements. As a former player for the Wolfpack, returning to Raleigh has always been on the bucket list for Gainey. The timing never worked, but he called NC State “home” when he spoke to Tennessee media members ahead of the Volunteers’ Sweet 16 matchup against Iowa State…