NC State coach Justin Gainey likes early progress, doesn’t rule out adding more players to roster ahead of 2026-27

The Wolfpacker Basketball(Photo credit: NC State Athletics)A new sign has been installed in the stairwell down to the practice court inside NC State’s Dail Basketball Center. It’s one of many subtle changes that Justin Gainey has made since he was hired on April 1, including a “gritty not pretty” slogan on a door in the gym, but this towering block of text has a different feel. It reads: “The achievements of an organization are the result of the combined effort of every individual working together. Each member has a role; each is expected to perform at a high level. The work of one becomes the work of all.” In a way, it’s about everything that Gainey stands for as a coach. His program isn’t going to be about one person or one player, rather it’s all about the collective of everyone in Wolfpack-logoed apparel in Raleigh. And so far, with his entire 13-man roster together for the first time, it appears the group has taken to what Gainey is looking for going into his debut campaign at the helm of his alma mater’s storied program.