Justin Gainey has been NC State's head coach for 72 hours. He inherited a roster that lost 50.5 points per game to graduation — Darrion Williams (14.0), Quadir Copeland (13.9), Ven-Allen Lubin (13.6), Tre Holloman (8.7), and Scottie Ebube are all done. Only Paul McNeil Jr. (13.7 PPG, 42.4% from three) and Matt Able (8.8 PPG) return. Two four-star freshmen — Cole Cloer and Trevon Carter-Givens — are incoming but won't replace four double-digit scorers and the team's only point guard.
The transfer portal opens Monday. It closes April 21. Somewhere in that 15-day window, Gainey needs to find a starting point guard, a scoring wing, and a rim protector, then convince all three to bet their careers on a program that's had three head coaches in three years. His edge? Two years of relationships from Tennessee's coaching staff and a recruiting network built across North Carolina. Here are the four names at the top of his board — ranked by likelihood, with the stats and NIL context that will shape each negotiation.
Dilione and Boswell are the realistic gets
Penn State's leading scorer is entering the portal for the second time with one year left. The Gainey connection is the strongest on this board — recruiter-to-recruit, Tennessee pedigree, and Dilione grew up five miles from PNC Arena. Shot 47% from the field and 82% from the line. The three-ball (31.3%) is the one number that needs to improve, but the efficiency everywhere else says this is a proven ACC-caliber scorer. He'd slot in as NC State's primary perimeter option alongside McNeil immediately.
Hasn't entered the portal yet, but Tennessee analyst Tony Basilio reports his minutes would drop from 26.5 to roughly 15 next season with Amari Evans and incoming guards moving ahead of him. Boswell's 3.1 assists and 1.94 A/TO ratio fill NC State's most critical gap — the Wolfpack's returning guards averaged a combined 1.7 APG last season. His 38.5% three-point shooting would be the second-best mark on the roster behind McNeil. The 6.2 PPG is depressed by Tennessee's depth; he was the sixth option on an Elite Eight team.
This is the moonshot. Harris finished top-10 in Wake Forest history for consecutive double-digit scoring games (35, program record), earned All-ACC Second Team, and averaged 21.4 points on 35.1 minutes per night. He's not in the portal, Wake Forest wants him back, and his price tag would dwarf NC State's other targets combined. But Gainey recruited him hard out of Salisbury — the relationship exists, Harris is a North Carolina kid, and Wake Forest just went 15-17. If Harris decides the grass is greener, Gainey's number is already in his phone.
Led the SEC in blocks (2.34 per game) and earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors as a sophomore. His 75.5% field goal shooting is elite — he doesn't take bad shots and finishes everything at the rim. NC State lost Lubin (7.1 RPG) and Ebube to graduation with no experienced big returning. Cyril would be a transformational defensive presence, but he'll have suitors from coast to coast. The Gainey connection through Tennessee's recruiting pipeline is real but weaker than Dilione or Boswell.
I'm a North Carolina guy. Everywhere I've been, I've recruited North Carolina, and I feel like I've done it at a high, high level. We're going to dominate this state and work our way out from there.
What the Math Looks Like
If Gainey lands Dilione and Boswell — the two most likely names on this board — NC State's backcourt goes from catastrophe to competitive overnight. Their combined 20.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 5.3 APG from last season would replace the production Copeland (13.9/3.6/6.5) and Holloman (8.7/1.7/2.0) took with them, and both would likely see their numbers jump in expanded roles. Add Cyril's 2.2 blocks per game and the Wolfpack suddenly have something resembling a team, not just a collection of freshmen and one very good three-point shooter.
Harris is the white whale. At 21.4 PPG he'd be the best player on the roster the moment he walked through the door, but prying an All-ACC selection away from Wake Forest is a $1M+ conversation that NC State may not be prepared to have in its first portal cycle under a new coach. Still — Gainey recruited him, Gainey nearly landed him once before, and stranger things have happened in April.
The portal closes April 21. Gainey's phone has been ringing since Monday. The question isn't whether NC State can compete for these players. It's whether Gainey can close in two weeks what most coaches take two months to build.