Why NC State Fans Shouldn’t Panic About Justin Gainey’s Staff (Yet)

There’s been a lot of panic surrounding the fact that Justin Gainey hasn’t officially hired any staff members yet, especially with the Transfer Portal opening today. While I’m not saying there’s zero reason for concern, I also don’t think this is something worth freaking out over just yet.

Michael Tracey of Tuffy Talk did a great job digging up some helpful context.

Looking at When Will Wade Hired His Staff

Last year, Will Wade was announced on March 23, and the Transfer Portal opened the very next day. He didn’t hire his first staff members until March 31, eight days after being hired and seven days after the portal opened. Adam Howard and Brandon Chambers were both announced as assistant coaches on that final day of March.

Vernon Hamilton followed on April 2, and additional staff Assistant General Manager Patrick Stacy, General Manager Andrew Slater, and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Reed Vial weren’t announced until April 7.

In other words, Wade was actively navigating the portal for a full week without a complete staff in place.

Dates of NC State’s Transfer Portal Commitments Last Year

• Alyn Breed (Guard, from McNeese State) – Committed April 2, 2025
• Quadir Copeland (Guard, from McNeese State) – Committed April 4, 2025
• Tre Holloman (Guard, from Michigan State) – Committed April 13, 2025
• Terrance Arceneaux (Forward, from Houston) – Committed April 25, 2025
• Colt Langdon (Forward, from Butler) – Committed April 25, 2025
• Jerry Deng (Forward, from Florida State) – Committed April 26, 2025 (or around April 25-26)
• Darrion Williams (Forward, from Texas Tech) – Committed May 22, 2025
• Ven-Allen Lubin (Forward, from North Carolina) – Committed June 1, 2025 (or around early June)

Additional Context

For additional context, players in the Transfer Portal can’t even visit schools until Friday. The first few days the portal is open are considered a dead period, meaning programs can communicate with players via phone or video, but cannot host them on campus.

So yes, there’s a bit of a waiting game built into this process.

And let’s not forget, Gainey isn’t operating alone in Raleigh. Patrick Stacy, who served as Assistant General Manager last season and is known for his work in data and analytics, is still in the fold.