NC State, Justin Gainey officially announce five assistants. Who’s on the bench
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- Justin Gainey added five staff members to his inaugural NC State men’s basketball staff.
- Bill Comar brings over two decades of college basketball experience.
- Gainey added assistants with different expertise, coaching backgrounds.
Five staff members joined Justin Gainey’s inaugural N.C. State men’s basketball coaching staff, the program announced this weekend.
The additions of Anthony Goins, Matthew Driscoll and Alvin Brooks, all of whom have experience on the Power Four level, were reported last week.
He officially added Riley Collins, who followed him from Tennessee, and Bill Comar to his staff. Three of Gainey’s staff members have experience in the SEC.
“I couldn’t be happier to have these five coaches join me at N.C. State,” Gainey said in a statement. “This coaching staff brings championship experience and a mindset towards a relentless commitment to winning. More importantly, they also understand our goal is not only to compete for championships, but to build a program that develops complete student-athletes. We are here to develop our players on and off the court, build strong leaders, and prepare these young men for success in life.”
Collins will serve as an assistant coach after spending four seasons with the Volunteers. He spent two years as a graduate assistant before his promotion to assistant director of player development.
This season, Collins was a key contributor to Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament’s development. Gillespie earned First Team All-SEC honors and averaged 18.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Ament recorded 16.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in his freshman season, becoming an All-SEC second team and All-Freshman team selection.
Comar joins the staff as the Director of Operations. He is one of the most veteran members of the new N.C. State staff, bringing more than two decades of experience as an assistant coach and college basketball administrator to Gainey’s bench. Comar spent time at multiple programs including Cincinnati, his most-recent stop, Dayton, Ball State and Indiana.
During his career, Comar has worked for programs that made 18 postseason berths, including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Dayton earned a quartet of NCAA Tournament bids, an Elite Eight appearance in 2014 and back-to-back Atlantic 10 titles during Comar’s stint from 2011-17.
He is familiar with the operations role, as well, working in the position at Xavier from 2001-08. Comar played three seasons at Division III Kenyon College.
Goins, who spent the last two seasons at Georgia, is expected to focus on the N.C. State offense. Under Goins’ leadership, the Bulldogs were one of the best and fastest offenses in the nation.
He has experience in the ACC, as well, working at Boston College and Clemson during his career. BC finished with 20 wins and an NIT bid in 2024, securing a 20-win season and postseason victory for the first time since 2011. The new assistant grew up in Greensboro before attending high school in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Brooks joins Gainey’s staff after spending the last two under Mark Pope at Kentucky, working as the associate head coach. His resume includes a national championship at Baylor.
Finally, Driscoll comes to N.C. State after spending one year at Kansas State, where he was the associate head coach before being named interim head coach. Prior to his brief stint in Manhattan, Driscoll spent 16 seasons as the North Florida head coach. He left UNF with 248 wins, setting a program and ASUN record.
The NCAA transfer portal opened last week and closes on April 21. A number of players from last season’s roster have already entered the portal but have indicated the possibility of a return. Gainey and his staff have hosted potential players on campus and will continue to work on the roster in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "NC State, Justin Gainey officially announce five assistants. Who’s on the bench."
