Tennessee coach Rick Barnes supports Justin Gainey’s candidacy for NC State opening: ‘I hope he gets the job’

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes isn’t afraid to share his opinion. And when he was asked what he thought about Volunteers associate head coach Justin Gainey being a top priority for NC State’s coaching search, the veteran basketball mind was quick to give a glowing review.

“I hope he gets the job,” Barnes said in his pre-Elite Eight media availability in Chicago on Saturday afternoon. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that loves NC State more than Justin Gainey. … He has just incredible pride in his university.”

Gainey, TheWolfpacker.com sources confirmed, is set to interview for the Pack’s job opening Saturday after NC State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan arrived in Chicago via private jet. 

The 49-year-old, who is near the top of the Wolfpack’s coaching search along with Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz, was a standout point guard at NC State during his playing career. By the time he finished his four-year career from 1996-2000, which included four postseason appearances, Gainey ranked second in career starts (103), fourth in steals (190), tied for fifth in games played (128) and ninth in assists (344).

Fast forward six years later, Gainey began his coaching career at NC State in 2006 as the Wolfpack’s administrative coordinator and later the director of basketball operations for two total seasons under Sidney Lowe. 

Gainey later moved on to spend a year at Elon and four seasons on Jason Capel’s App State staff before joining Sendek on Santa Clara’s staff for a season. He also worked at Arizona for two seasons and one year at Marquette before arriving at Tennessee. 

For Barnes, who elevated Gainey to be his right-hand man and defensive coordinator three seasons ago, the former Wolfpack standout point guard is a rising star in the profession.

Gainey, most notably, was the lead recruiter for five-star small forward Nate Ament, landing the commitment from the No. 2 player nationally in a crowded group of Blue Bloods in pursuit of the Virginia-born prospect. Oh, and he’s led several critical scouting reports and walkthroughs, doing his job so well that Barnes tends to just watch from the sidelines as it happens on the practice court. 

“I don’t say a whole lot because those guys have it,” Barnes said.

The High Point, N.C., native was asked by On3’s Volquest about the possibility of him returning to his alma mater Thursday afternoon, just hours after Will Wade departed for LSU following his lone season in Raleigh.

And at that time, he hadn’t paid too much attention to it.

“We have been so locked in here and you kind of see the noise and not really knowing what is real and what is not,” Gainey said. “NC State is a great place. It is home. I don’t know what they’ll do or what direction they’ll go in. I hadn’t really heard much.”

That all changed by the weekend with the Wolfpack brass on site to have a conversation with him about possibly becoming the next leader of the program.

It’s been a whirlwind of a few days for Gainey, who was in charge of the scout that allowed Tennessee to knock of 2-seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, and his stock only continues to rise. Many former NC State players, including Chris Corchiani, have publicly put their weight behind Gainey in the search as the process has drawn on over the last 48 hours.

If it were up to Barnes, the well-respected coach, Gainey would be his top choice for any head coaching opening around the country.

“If NC State knew what I knew, they would be begging him to be their next head coach,” Barnes said. “Because he’s ready, not just for NC State, he’s ready to be the head coach of the University of Tennessee or any school in the country. He’s that good.”