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Justin Gainey just passed his first real test as a head coach — and most people haven't noticed yet.
When NC State announced Gainey as its next head coach, a vocal segment of the fan base was skeptical. Could a first-time head coach attract the right level of talent? Could he identify the pieces needed to compete in the ACC? Those concerns grew louder before they got quieter, and for a while, there was some real merit to the noise. NC State turned over nearly its entire roster. Virtually everyone except Zymicah Wilkins entered the transfer portal before the Wolfpack had landed a single commitment out of the portal.
But once you step back and look at this roster in totality, the picture changes fast. Here's why this transfer portal class deserves more credit than it's getting — and why we're extremely high on NC State heading into 2026-27.
The Right Philosophy
Before breaking down individual players, it's worth understanding the framework Gainey appears to have followed — because it's exactly the right one.
Rule #1: Don't bring in portal guys and expect them to outperform themselves.
This sounds obvious, but programs get burned by it every single year. The data is pretty clear: the vast majority of transfer portal players underperform their previous counting stats in their first season at a new school. Points per game go down. Rebounds go down. It happens across the board, for a variety of reasons. If you're building a roster around guys who need to make huge jumps in performance just to keep you competitive, you're in trouble before the season even tips off.
Rule #2: Concentrate your NIL money on a select few.
Once you start spreading rev share too thin, trying to keep everyone happy, the whole thing unravels. Last year, NC State got fortunate — Quadir Copeland vastly outperformed his budget as an almost All-ACC-level point guard, and Paul McNeil Jr. way overperformed expectations as a retained piece from the previous staff. The team probably should have been better than it ultimately was, and it only held together because of those two pleasant surprises.
This year, Gainey didn't leave that to chance. He invested smartly in guys you can bank on, and built depth around high-character players who understand their roles.
The Starting Five
Backcourt
Preston Edmead (Hofstra) figures to be the primary ball handler, and the resume backs it up. The CAA Rookie of the Year averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds at Hofstra while shooting nearly 39% from three, including posting three straight 20-point games to close the season — and 24 points against Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, the competition level is going up and there may be some regression in spots, but what you can take to the bank is this: Edmead is a lights-out shooter who can create his own offense off the bounce. At worst, he's a floor spacer who makes things happen. That floor is valuable.
Christian Hammond (Santa Clara) slots in as the combo guard who mitigates any concern about Edmead's ability to hold up as a primary ball handler in the ACC. He's equally comfortable with the ball in his hands, shot nearly 40% from three as a First Team All-WCC player, and gives Gainey genuine backcourt insurance. Two guys who can each run the offense and knock down open shots is a luxury, not a given.
Paul McNeil Jr. is the anchor of this backcourt — and retaining him may have been Gainey's single most important move of the offseason. McNeil reportedly turned down more lucrative offers to stay in Raleigh, averaging 13.8 points and shooting 42.7% from three last season. He is one of the best shooters in the country, the kind of player who commands constant defensive attention. That gravity is going to open things up for Edmead and Hammond in ways that are hard to fully quantify on a box score.
Frontcourt
Kyle Evans (UC Irvine) is exactly the kind of frontcourt anchor this backcourt needs. The Big West Defensive Player of the Year led the entire country in blocks last season at 3.3 per game. Anything he gives you offensively is gravy — and by all accounts he'll give you more than expected with post moves and interior scoring off the kickouts from those three perimeter shooters. But his calling card is the paint. This backcourt — Edmead, Hammond, McNeil — is not a group of lockdown defenders. Knowing Evans is behind them allows those guards to gamble on the ball, play aggressive on the perimeter, and trust their rim protector to bail them out. That's a defensive identity Gainey can actually build around.
Eemeli Yalaho (Washington State) is the perfect complement at the four. He doesn't need the ball to be effective. He parks on the perimeter, knocks down catch-and-shoot threes at a high clip, crashes the glass when needed, and provides secondary rim protection. He does the little things that show up on film but not always in the stat sheet — and that's exactly what this starting five needs from the four spot.
The Depth
This is where things get interesting, because Gainey didn't just nail the starting five — he surrounded it with the right kind of supporting cast.
Darius Adams (Maryland) is the high-upside flyer of the bunch. A former McDonald's All-American, Adams is a skilled, smooth 6-foot-5 guard with a multi-dimensional scoring game. If he hits, he gives NC State a genuine offensive spark off the bench who can spell Edmead or Hammond in foul trouble without dropping off the production cliff. That's a big "if," but the ceiling is real.
RJ Keene II (Boise State) is the ultimate glue guy — can play the four, can play the wing, can spot up and shoot on the perimeter. High-character, versatile, and the kind of piece that good rosters are full of. The fact that NC State landed him quickly and confidently says something about what Gainey values.
Jacari Brim (Appalachian State) and Comeh Emuobor (New Hampshire) round out the backcourt depth as in-state North Carolina guys who know what they are. They're not walking in with oversized expectations or outsized egos. They'll compete in practice, push the starters, and earn their minutes — which is exactly what you want from the bottom of your bench.
Zymicah Wilkins as the lone returner is another high-upside piece, a former highly recruited prospect who has reportedly continued developing physically and brings buy-in to the new staff's system from day one.
What the Rankings Miss
NC State's transfer class is ranked anywhere from 15th to 35th nationally depending on which service you check. That range tells you something — the evaluators aren't quite sure what to make of it. And that's because recruiting rankings reward name recognition and pedigree. They're less equipped to measure fit.
What Gainey has assembled is arguably the most cohesive unit on paper in this entire transfer portal cycle. Five starters who complement each other. Shooters who take pressure off each other. A rim protector who makes the guards better. A four man who doesn't need touches to contribute. You don't need to be a basketball genius to see how this starting five is supposed to play together — and that clarity of vision is rarer than the rankings suggest.
Will NC State overwhelm teams offensively from the perimeter? Yes. Do they have, in our opinion, one of the top three-man shooting lineups in the country with Edmead, Hammond, and McNeil? Absolutely. And with Evans anchoring the defense and Gainey — known throughout his coaching career as a defensive-minded coach — installing his system, this team should be at least competitive on that end of the floor too.
The One Remaining Piece
NC State is still searching for a backup center to spell Evans, and they're reportedly in the mix for Auburn transfer Emeka Opurum among other options. Landing the right piece there would complete what is shaping up to be a legitimately well-constructed roster for a first-year head coach facing enormous pressure to deliver quickly.
The Verdict
Is this the roster from last year's NC State team that won a press conference every week? No. This is a methodical, cohesive, character-first build — and honestly, that might be more sustainable.
Justin Gainey came into Raleigh under enormous scrutiny, with almost no returners, a fan base with a panic cord ready to pull, and a transfer portal window that felt like it would define his tenure before it even began. What he's put together deserves real credit.
The ceiling for this team is high. The floor is respectable. And the fit is undeniable.
Don't sleep on the Wolfpack.
