Justin Gainey | Tennessee
Role: Associate Head Coach
Age: 49
Alma Mater: NC State
Chance he’d accept if offered: 100% (yes, 100%)
Gainey has become one of the most respected assistants in college basketball, particularly known for his defensive expertise and player development. The 49-year-old is in his fifth season on Rick Barnes’ staff at Tennessee in 2025-26, including his third as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. During his time in Knoxville, the Volunteers have been very successful, making multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching Sweet 16s and Elite Eights, and consistently ranked among the nation’s elite defensive squads.
He previously served as associate head coach at Marquette, spent time as an assistant at Arizona, and had earlier stops at Santa Clara, Appalachian State, and Elon. Gainey began his coaching career in administrative roles at NC State.
Pros: He’s a proven entity working under one of the nation’s most well-respected coaches. He has helped build elite, tough-minded teams at the high-major level. Gainey excels at developing guards and point guards, has strong recruiting ties (especially in North Carolina), and has worked under successful head coaches like Rick Barnes and Sean Miller. As a former player and staff member at NC State, he’d know what he’d be getting himself into, and he’d have a deep understanding of the expectations, fanbase, and culture. If Gainey is offered this job, he 100% takes it. That’s not our opinion; that’s from as good a source as there is on this topic.
Cons: He has no head coaching experience at any level, which is the biggest question mark for programs. Some fans might prefer a candidate with prior success as a head coach, but if you don’t need that, then Gainey is as good as it gets.
Style of Play: Gainey’s primary impact is on the defensive end, where Tennessee has been historically dominant, emphasizing physicality, discipline, communication, and forcing opponents into inefficient shots. Offensively, he has contributed to high-assist-rate teams that feature skilled guard play and ball movement. His background as a very fundamental point guard translates well into developing trustworthy and talented guards.
NC connection: Very strong ties, obviously. Gainey is a former NC State player (1996-2000), where he was a three-year starter at point guard, team captain as a senior, and part of the memorable 1997 ACC Tournament Cinderella run (playing every minute and earning All-Tournament honors). He is from High Point, NC, and began his coaching career on the Wolfpack staff (administrative coordinator 2006-08 and director of basketball operations 2008-09). Returning home to lead his alma mater would be a full-circle opportunity where he’d have a ton of support and deep recruiting ties. He attended Greensboro Day High School in Greensboro.
Josh Schertz | Saint Louis
Role: Head Coach
Age: 50
Alma Mater: Florida Atlantic U
Chance he’d accept if offered: 50%
Schertz has built a reputation as a consistent winner across different levels. After a dominant run at Division II Lincoln Memorial (including deep tournament runs), he elevated Indiana State and has now turned Saint Louis into a competitive program, recently leading them to strong Atlantic 10 showings and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The 50-year-old emphasizes efficient offense and player development.
Pros: He’s won everywhere he’s been. He’s known as a good X’s and O’s guy and his style of basketball is disciplined, fundamental, and is enjoyable to watch.
Cons: He’s never won at a high-major level, but usually the A-10 is a proving ground for eventual high-major coaches.
Style of Play: Schertz describes it as ‘organized randomness.’ Here he is talking about it. “We call it organized randomness. Randomness by itself would just be chaos. So you have to have some principles, some structure and concepts. And then we teach guys how to play instead of teaching them plays… It’s not patterns, it’s rhythm. It’s like jazz.”
NC connection: He has clear roots in the state from his early coaching days, serving as associate head coach at Queens University (NC) from 2001–03 and then at High Point University from 2003–08. That local experience could make an ACC move to Raleigh feel like a natural step up if the opportunity arises.
Phil Martelli Jr. | VCU
Role: Head Coach
Age: 44
Alma Mater: Saint Joseph’s
Chance he’d accept if offered: 75%
Martelli Jr. has quickly emerged as one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball. After serving as an assistant and associate head coach at Bryant, he took over as head coach in 2023 and posted a 43-25 record in two seasons, including a 23-12 mark and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his final year there. He was hired at VCU in March 2025 and immediately delivered in his first season, leading the Rams to a 28-8 record, a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title, the A-10 Tournament championship, and an NCAA Tournament berth that included a first-round upset victory over North Carolina. VCU rewarded his strong debut with a two-year contract extension through 2031-32.
Pros: He’s a proven winner who has succeeded at multiple levels in a short time, showing the ability to take over programs and elevate them quickly. Martelli is highly regarded for his player development, culture-building, and modern approach to the game. He comes from strong basketball bloodlines (son of longtime Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli Sr.) and has already shown he can compete and win in a competitive mid-major conference like the A-10.
Cons: At just 44, he still has relatively limited head-coaching experience (only three seasons total). While his first year at VCU was outstanding, some may want to see sustained success over multiple seasons before viewing him as a finished product for a job like NC State.
Style of Play: Martelli Jr. runs a fast-paced, up-tempo, and aggressive brand of basketball. His teams emphasize transition offense, early shots in the shot clock, attacking the paint, and playing with high energy and risk. He carried over the dynamic, frenetic style from Bryant, focusing on pace, spacing, backdoor cuts, and forcing turnovers on defense with disruptive ball pressure. VCU’s offense became more open and exciting under him compared to previous slower-paced systems, while maintaining the program’s traditional toughness and physicality.
NC connection: No direct playing or coaching ties to the state, but VCU’s AD Ed McLaughlin has a well-known, strong connection with NC State AD Boo Corrigan. This was revealed as Wade was being hired.
Guys we’re leaving off for now…
Mike White | Georgia
Sure, Boo has ties to his family. We went over that during the Wade hire. But White’s buyout is at $8M currently, and while his back-to-back 20-win seasons are nice, I don’t think NC State has the money to buy him out, pay his salary, and get him a competitive NIL budget. If money somehow appears out of nowhere, then we’ll move him onto the big board.
Mark Bylington | Vanderbilt
He’s got UNCW ties and has been really good at Vanderbilt, but he just finished top 4 in the SEC and had 27 wins. He also likely has a huge buyout (that isn’t public), and other schools are going to be in on him, so bidding could get up there. Another great option that I fear is too expensive, and with higher profile jobs coming online, I just think it’s too hard a sell.
Archie Miller | Rhode Island
Archie did well at Dayton and is a former NC State PG, but his struggles at Indiana and now at RI shouldn’t make you feel too confident that NC State would be ready to pull the trigger on him.
Joel Justus | Ohio State
Former NC State assistant and was Keatts go-to recruiter, but has no head coaching experience and look, honestly, if NC State is taking someone who isn’t a head coach, it’s going to be Gainey, and I’m 100% sure Gainey accepts the position if offered.
