Will Wade and NC State basketball just lost one commit after a change of heart, with big man Paul Mbiya deciding to hit the recruitment trail again, according to Joe Tipton of On3.

Via Tipton on X (formerly Twitter): “Congolese big man Paul Mbiya has decided to decommit from NC State and reopen his recruitment, source told @On3Recruits. The 6-11, 260-pound center boasts a 7-7 wingspan. The 20-year-old Mbiya most recently played with the French pro team ASVEL of the EuroLeague, a club owned by Tony Parker. ”

It remains to be seen where exactly Mbiya will land next, but he should be able to garner plenty of attention, especially given his size and experience as a professional in France. It won't come as a big surprise if another ACC team will ultimately earn his nod, but other programs from other major conferences must have already turned their attention on him. In the 2024-25 season with ASVEL, Mbiya appeared in only a total of three contests and gathered just a point to go with two rebounds in eight minutes, but there is surely a big room for development for such a raw talent with great physical tools.

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Meanwhile, Mbiya's departure comes just after NC State recently scored a win on the transfer portal front with power forward Ven-Allen Lubin coming over to Raleigh following a short stint with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Lubin spent his junior year in the 2024-25 college basketball season with the Tar Heels, appearing in 20 games and averaging 8.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks while shooting 68.4 percent from the field.

Despite Mbiya's withdrawal from NC State basketball, Wade still has a bevvy of newcomers for the Wolfpack, particularly via the transfer portal, which includes a couple of his players from the McNeese State Cowboys. Guards Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland have both followed Wade from McNeese State to NC State, while former Houston Cougars forward Terrance Arceneaux and ex-Michigan State Spartans guard have also taken their talents to the Cowboys, who have made the NCAA Tournament in two of the last three seasons.

Before his NC State basketball hiring, Wade steered McNeese State to 28 wins in the 2024-25 season and led the Cowboys to a second-round appearance in the Big Dance — the deepest the program has gone into March Madness ever.