Getting to Know the Latest NC State Men's Basketball Additions
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RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball needed a complete roster overhaul after nearly all of the production from the 2025-26 team left via the transfer portal or exhausted their eligibility. While the process isn't done yet, first-year head coach Justin Gainey is working hard to rebuild the roster from scratch as the sport continues to fade away from the era of loyalty and consistency.
So far, the Wolfpack has added six players out of the transfer portal to pair with just one returner. The players all came from very different programs and backgrounds, but seem to be fits with Gainey as he strives to build his NC State program on toughness more than anything else. If that plan comes together, the Pack should be a fun watch for fans in the near future.
Nuggets about each Wolfpack transfer
Christian Hammond, a guard transfer from Santa Clara, has something in common with his new head coach in Gainey. Both played for veteran coach Herb Sendek, with Gainey playing under Sendek when he led the Wolfpack in the 1990s. Now, it'll be a reunion of sorts for Sendek and Gainey through the talented guard.
The second guard the Pack added was Hofstra's Preston Edmead. Both of his older brothers played Division I basketball (Wagner, North Carolina A&T and Merrimack), but Preston is the first in the family to reach the high-major level.
The Wolfpack is getting a true glue guy, both by self-proclamation and by individual performance, in Boise State transfer RJ Keene. His Twitter bio reads "glue guy," meaning he will inevitably be a fan-favorite in Raleigh despite never filling up the stat sheet in a traditional manner. He also has a relationship with one of his new teammates and former NC State forward Darrion Williams.
That new teammate is former Texas Tech and Washington State forward Eemeli Yalaho, who is set to join the Pack after his best collegiate season with the Cougars in Pullman. Yalaho, Williams and Keene all met up for a trip in San Diego not long after the 2025-26 season ended for the three players.
Darius Adams was recruited by Gainey when the latter was still coaching at Tennessee, so there was an existing comfort and relationship that drew the former McDonald's All-American to Raleigh. While his first collegiate season didn't go as well as he'd hoped, Adams should be in a position for significant growth working under Gainey.
The other frontcourt addition, joining Yalaho, was the nation's leading shot blocker during the 2025-26 season. Kyle Evans is a remarkable athlete at 6-foot-10 and could change NC State's defense quickly.
List of new Wolfpack players
Find all the social media info for NC State's newest faces right here.
Player | X (Twitter) | |
|---|---|---|
Christian Hammond | @Chrst_Hammond2 | christian.hammond1 |
Preston Edmead | @PrestonEdmead | press._ |
Darius Adams | @dariusadamss | dariussadams |
Kyle Evans | @_kylevans_ | _kylevans_ |
RJ Keene | @rjkeeneii | rjkeeneii |
Eemeli Yalaho | @eemeliyalaho | eemeliyalaho |
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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