Sports

NC State Introduced New Basketball Coach By Wrong Name While Thinking About Will Wade

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© Casey Sapio-Imagn Images / © Casey Sapio-Imagn Images


The NC State basketball program introduced new head coach Justin Gainey on Wednesday. He will replace Will Wade on the sidelines in Raleigh.

Athletic director Boo Corrigan formally welcomed his new leader in a midweek press conference. He appeared to have his ex-coach on the brain.

The administrator misspoke multiple times when saying Gainey’s name. Was he thinking about Will Wade?

Justin Gainey is NC State’s new basketball coach.

The former Wolfpack player will get his first shot as a head coach. He’d previously been a high-level assistant on Rick Barnes’ staff at Tennessee.

Gainey’s other stops include Arizona, Marquette, Santa Clara, App State, and Elon.

He will have big shoes to fill in Raleigh. Wade led the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament in Year 1. He delivered on the many of the goals set in the preseason.

While the season ended on a buzzer beater in the First Four, it represented a step in the right direction for a program that went 12-19 the year prior.

Now, NC State has been forced to undergo an unexpected reset.

Wade bolted for more money to return to LSU. He left administration in the dark up until the last possible moment according to Corrigan.

While he may not have technically lied about his departure, the optics were awful. Gainey is left to pick up the pieces. NC State is confident in his ability to lead the basketball program.

With that said, it might’ve still had its former coach on its mind when welcoming Gainey to the fanbase.

Boo Corrigan called his coach by the wrong name.

The AD introduced the coach as “Jayson” in his Wednesday press conference, which is actually the name of one of Gainey’s sons. In Corrigan’s defense, it’s been a long and drawn-out couple of days.

The mix-up made headlines following Wade’s ironic Freudian slip in his own intro presser. It’s been a weird week.

While Gainey’s name wasn’t top of mind, Will Wade was. Corrigan made sure to get in a few final jabs at his former coach after being spurned.

At one moment, he trolled Wade about his reliance on analytics. In another, he took a shot at the head coach’s loyalty (or lack thereof).

“We’re here to celebrate a new leader… who has the right moral compass for this fan base… and who is truly going to take pride in the name on the front of the jersey.”.

Wade spoke on taking pride in the NC State logo in his intro presser one year ago. At the end of the day, he thought more highly of LSU.

The Wolfpack knows Gainey will prioritize his alma mater. He will represent the program well for as long as he roams the sidelines.

NC State hopes the homecoming results in a lengthy tenure of on-court success. But even with Wade gone, Gainey will be unable to escape comparisons to his predecessor.