NC State men’s basketball hot board 2.0: Where the Pack could turn if its top coaching options go elsewhere

By Noah Fleichman

At this point of NC State’s search for a new men’s basketball coach after the Wolfpack fired Kevin Keatts on Sunday, the Wolfpack is most interested in VCU’s Ryan Odom and McNeese State’s Will Wade, both hot commodities in this coaching cycle. 

Odom is also on the top of Virginia’s list this offseason, while Wade could opt to wait for an SEC opening in the near future. So what if neither one picks the Pack? 

Let’s take a look at who NC State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan could look to next for the program’s 21st head coach if his top candidates go elsewhere. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

Justin Gainey, Tennessee associate head coach

An NC State alum, Gainey is a rising star in the industry. He has been at Tennessee since 2021, but served on the Wolfpack’s staff in administrative roles early in his coaching career. Gainey broke into the profession as the Pack’s administrative coordinator for three years under Sidney Lowe before he was promoted to director of operations for two seasons. 

Gainey, 47, is viewed as one of the top assistants in college basketball and is due for his first shot running a program. Returning home to NC State could be an enticing opportunity for Gainey to leave Rick Barnes’ elite staff in the SEC. In addition to his time on staff at NC State and Tennessee, Gainey was also an assistant at Elon and App State before leaving his home state for Santa Clara, Arizona and Marquette. 

Joel Justus, Ohio State associate head coach

The Pack’s ace recruiter from its Final Four team in the 2023-24 campaign, Justus would bring an interesting skill set to Raleigh. He has a knack for developing top guards with his fingerprints all over Casey Morsell, DJ Horne, Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith in just two seasons at NC State — something the Wolfpack missed this past season without Justus on staff.

Justus used the momentum from the Final Four run to leap onto Ohio State’s staff under first-year coach Jake Diebler right after the Pack’s loss in Phoenix. The Buckeyes went 17-14 (9-11 Big Ten) in year one. In addition to his short stint at NC State, Justus was previously on staffs at Arizona State and Kentucky. He has immense ties to North Carolina as a former standout at UNCW, an assistant at Elon and the head coach for two seasons at Davidson Day High School.

Ben McCollum, Drake coach

This is a candidate that may be viewed as a longshot, but McCollum is worth a phone call at the bare minimum. He’s won everywhere he’s been as a head coach. 

McCollum has Drake sitting at 30-3 (17-3 MVC) in his first season with the Bulldogs. The program is in the NCAA Tournament after it won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles this year. Before his debut campaign at the Division I level, McCollum posted a 395-91 record (241-63 in conference play) in 15 seasons at Division II Northwest Missouri State. He led the Bearcats to four D-II national championships with 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in his time there. 

McCollum is expected to be a hot name on the coaching carousel in the midwest once the Bulldogs’ season is over.

Archie Miller, Rhode Island coach

Another former NC State player, Miller has made the rounds since he wrapped up his playing career in Raleigh in 2002. He has been a head coach at three different schools — Dayton, Indiana and Rhode Island — and has been up and down at those stops. 

Miller was dominant at Dayton with a .688 winning percentage and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances before he went to Indiana for four seasons (a .536 winning percentage and no NCAA Tournament bids led to a firing). And at Rhode Island, he hasn’t found immediate success with two losing seasons followed by an 18-12 campaign this year. 

While Miller was previously an assistant at NC State from 2004-2006, he might be a longshot candidate with the Pack this cycle. He hasn’t found a consistent amount of success with the Rams in the Atlantic 10 over the last three seasons, and hiring him certainly wouldn’t win the press conference. But Miller is an option with his long coaching history and obvious ties to NC State.

Russell Turner, UC Irvine coach

Want an out-of-the-box hire? Turner is that guy. 

Turner, 54, has spent his entire head coaching career at UC Irvine, a program he has turned into a consistent winner in the Big West. He has won at least 20 games in 10 of his 15 seasons with the Anteaters, including seven regular season conference titles, two tournament crowns, two NCAA tournament appearances and four NIT bids. Turner led UC Irvine to a 31-win campaign in the 2018-19 season, including a win over Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. 

Turner is no stranger to the East Coast or the ACC. A Roanoke, Va., native, he spent six seasons on Dave Odom’s staff at Wake Forest. And like Ryan Odom, Turner played college basketball at Division III Hampden-Sydney. The two were teammates for one season before Turner served as an assistant with the Tigers while Odom was a player there.

Turner helped work with Tim Duncan during his time at Wake Forest, while he also has experience as an assistant coach at Stanford and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. 

While Turner isn’t a traditional candidate for the job, the ACC’s West Coast footprint helps, while his relationship with the Odom family won’t hurt, either. Corrigan, the Pack’s athletic director, has a bond with the Odoms, which could help in this process if Turner ends up with an interview in Raleigh.