NC State AD accidentally calls new men's basketball coach Justin Gainey 'Jason' twice at introductory news conference

NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan briefly forgot the name of the Wolfpack’s new men’s basketball coach on Wednesday.

As the school introduced former Tennessee assistant and former NC State player Justin Gainey as the team’s new head coach, Corrigan got Gainey’s first name correct shortly after taking the podium. But then he accidentally called Gainey “Jason” twice in a matter of seconds.

“As a former point guard, Jason knows what it takes to manage a team,” Corrigan said. “As a former captain, he knows what it takes to be a strong leader and what we need to do to take the next step. And as a two-time NC State graduate, he understands the love we all have for this university. To quote [football coach Dave Doeren], Jason’s blood is in the bricks.”

There seems to be a simple explanation for the snafu. Before calling Gainey “Jason,” Corrigan introduced Gainey’s family, including his son Jason. The name must have stuck in Corrigan’s brain.

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Gainey replaces Will Wade after Wade spent just one season at NC State. The Wolfpack hired the former LSU coach from McNeese to replace Kevin Keatts, but Wade returned to Baton Rouge in March after LSU fired Matt McMahon.

Gainey played at NC State from 1996-2000, and got into coaching after a brief professional career and a stint in NC State’s administration. He coached at Arizona and Marquette before taking an assistant coaching job at Tennessee, and served as the Volunteers associate head coach under Rick Barnes for the past four seasons.

That stretch included three straight Elite Eight appearances. The Vols lost to Michigan on Sunday as they are still in search of their first Final Four appearance in school history.