The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544864
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER what Gainey could become after his play- ing days were over. "He was a coach on the floor," Sendek said. "He was a tremendous leader and teammate. He had a great feel for the game. He competed with toughness. And, perhaps most importantly, he's the kind of person you want your son to play for or to represent your university." Gainey had the traits to do well in the profession. While not the quickest player on the floor or the best shooter, he had an elite competitive spirit. Better still, he had a basketball mind that allowed him to rack up 344 assists and 190 steals in 128 games. Forward Damon Thornton, who arrived in Raleigh alongside Gainey in the 1996 recruiting class, recalled that the point guard had a different presence about him. Even before their first season, dur- ing which Gainey would set an ACC re- cord by playing 160 minutes in the league tournament, Thornton could tell that his new teammate understood the game on a deeper level than most. "You knew from the time he hit the court that he was kind of an extension of the head coach," Thornton said. Gainey didn't skip any steps on the way to his own head coaching debut. He started out as an administrative intern in NC State's athletics department under then-AD Lee Fowler. Sendek had helped place him in the role, and the position had a transformative impact. "It changed my whole view on col- lege athletics," Gainey recalled. "From a business perspective, my view was re- ally changed. I saw the business behind it, while still having the competitive nature of college sports. It intrigued me." Shortly after completing the intern- ship, Gainey joined the men's basketball staff, serving as an administrative coor- dinator under head coach Sidney Lowe. That's when his desire to coach really took root. He enjoyed being around the team every day. Players would ask him for his advice, and Gainey was more than willing to oblige. From there, he began to climb the coaching ladder. Gainey spent a season as Lowe's director of operations before landing his first on-court role as an as- sistant at Elon. He jumped to Appalachian State as an assistant for four seasons, then served as Marquette's director of oper- ations for three years before his career arc entered a new level as an assistant at Santa Clara (2017-18), Arizona (2018-20), Marquette (associate head coach, 2021- 22) and, most recently, at Tennessee for the past five seasons. The life of an assistant coach is often nomadic, and Gainey thrived at every stop on his way up. One of his earliest bosses, former App State coach Jason Capel, can attest to his dedication. "He's earned his way. He's done all the little things at every step of the way, every job to know how to do everything in every role, and to do it well," Capel said. "It's no different than being a player. You have to know how to do a lot of things to get on the court. Justin is really good at a lot of different things. That's going to make him a very good head basketball coach." Diverse Experiences Throughout his coaching journey, Gainey has tried to learn from the people around him. In addition to Sendek, NC State's staff during his playing days in- cluded current Texas coach Sean Miller and Groce, who left Akron for Charles- ton this offseason. In more recent years, he's had an opportunity to learn from the country's top coaches, including Tennes- see's Rick Barnes. Danny Strong, a senior forward at NC State when Gainey was a freshman in 1996-97, is confident that his former teammate's experience will serve him well. "I think every good leader is always a good follower first," Strong said. "He's been under great coaches that helped guide him on his path. … He's really ob- servant. He definitely observed more than he talked at the beginning, waiting for the right moment to know what he needed to do when he had to run his own program. I know he's one thousand percent ready for this journey." Gainey's career has allowed him to live a variety of experiences and has made it possible for him to be selective about his first head-coaching stop. He's lived both the mid-major and high-major life and has worked at schools all over the country, building connections at every stop along the way. As Sendek put it, Gainey has a "treasure chest of experiences." "We all bring the sum of our experi- ences to the present moment," Sendek said. "When you look at Justin's journey, it includes a diversity of experiences. I've always believed that's really healthy, and I think it'll help him." While Gainey has numerous mentors who've shared their wisdom over the Gainey was flanked by athletics director Boo Corrigan and chancellor Kevin Howell during his introductory news conference. Corrigan called it a "full-circle moment" for the former Wolfpack basketball standout. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS