Patrick Stacy loves the roster-building process.
While the season itself is what ultimately matters, the months spent evaluating talent, studying film, projecting fit, and assembling a roster are where the NC State GM and Director of Analytics believes the foundation for success is established. After helping first-year head coach Justin Gainey build an entirely new roster this offseason, Stacy believes the Wolfpack is in a much different position than it was a year ago.
"Oh, I love it," Stacy recently stated when asked about putting together a roster. "That's the fun part of it. I think we'd probably prefer not to have to get 15 guys every season like we did the last two years, but it is a blast to assess these players, dive into the film, look at their numbers, and see how they could fit together."
This offseason presented a unique challenge—and opportunity—for NC State. With Gainey now leading the way, it was a fresh start to create a new identity.
"It was cool this year to have a blank slate and really start the program and foundation from the ground up with Coach Gainey," Stacy said. "Obviously, retaining Paul McNeil and Zymicah Wilkins was huge—those are two great pieces to build around, but it was also great to lay the groundwork for what Coach Gainey wants in his program and do it in a way that was different from last year."
That distinction is huge.
Rather than simply trying to accumulate the most talented players available, Stacy believes every addition was made with a specific purpose in mind. The staff wanted players who complemented one another on both ends of the floor while also reflecting Gainey's vision.
"From a long-term standpoint, the overall product on the floor will be much better and will truly embody what I perceive NC State to be all about: gritty dudes who play hard for you," Stacy said. "We have a really good group, and they've already taken on Coach Gainey's personality. We were banking on them being gritty and defense-first, so it's been really fun to work with them. Putting the team together is absolutely the most fun part of the job."
That philosophy became even clearer when Stacy reflected on last year's roster construction.
“In terms of the overall fit of the roster, I think what the fans will find—and hopefully what the team shows on the court—is that the pieces fit a lot better this year."
Instead of chasing talent for talent's sake, the staff emphasized functionality.
"This wasn't just an accumulation of as much talent as we could get," Stacy explained. "It was about how the pieces fit together as a whole rather than just a collection of talented individuals."
He believes that cohesion will become evident once the season begins.
"As you go down the roster, you'll clearly see the offensive vision for how it all fits together and why there is a lot of firepower," Stacy said. "Defensively, adding Kyle Evans addresses a major pain point for both the fans and us last year—a lack of true rim protection—and having him on the backline behind some of our guards who skew more toward offense."
"As I said, we took an educated bet that Coach Gainey would be able to develop the defense," Stacy added. "When you look at the usage rates, their efficiency, and how they can play off each other, you'll see a much clearer, more cohesive picture when you see it on the floor this season."
If there is one principle that drove every roster decision, however, it was shooting.
During a recent Cornerstone 1PackNIL feature, Gainey noted that NC State could realistically put five legitimate perimeter shooters on the floor at the same time. In today's college basketball landscape, that type of lineup isn't common, and Stacy believes it can become one of the program's biggest advantages.
"The most important thing in modern basketball is being able to shoot,” he said. “That has the highest correlation to winning and has for a few years now. It's pretty intuitive, but when you can space the floor like that, it makes the game easier for everyone."
The spacing created by multiple shooting threats impacts every offensive possession, whether it's opening driving lanes, creating cleaner passing angles, or forcing defenses into difficult decisions. For Stacy, one player who stands to benefit significantly is point guard Preston Edmead.
"He is considered somewhat undersized, but he has a great burst and is one of the best off-the-dribble jump shooters in the country,” Stacy said of Edmead. “When we have four shooters around him, it naturally creates a lot of space inside. We know he has to finish at a higher clip than he did last year while moving up a level, but we feel confident he can do that because he has more room to operate, can make good paint decisions, and can finish at the basket."
Ultimately, everything comes back to one central belief.
"Shooting makes everything easier," Stacy said. "We plan to weaponize it this year. That is one of my core beliefs in building a basketball team in this era."
