Will Wade is back at the center of college basketball, and he is wasting no time building a big-time contender in the ACC. After Wade took McNeese to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with a stunning upset of Clemson in the first round, he took the head coaching job at NC State.
Now, Wade is quickly rebuilding the Wolfpack after a very disappointing 2024-25 season with a number of transfer portal additions. On Sunday, he got his latest commitment when former North Carolina big man Ven-Allen Lubin committed to NC State, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
“NEWS: North Carolina transfer forward Ven-Allen Lubin has committed to NC State, he told @On3sports,” Tipton reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The 6-8 junior averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season.”
Lubin isn't going to come in and be a star right away for Wade and company, but he is a solid contributor up front and brings experience in big games to an NC State group that will naturally be lacking some continuity in year one with a new head coach.
Article Continues BelowThe 6-foot-8 forward played in 37 games for the Tar Heels last season while making 20 starts. He took just over five shots per game but did shoot a blistering 68.4% from the field.
Lubin spent his first year in college at Notre Dame before transferring to Vanderbilt for the 2023-24 season. He ended up at North Carolina last year and will now be playing for his fourth team in four years with the Wolfpack.
This NC State program has a history of success and is just two years removed from reaching the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2024. However, a disappointing 2024-25 season led to the firing of Kevin Keatts, and now the pressure is on Wade's shoulders to carry the torch and get NC State back to the top of college basketball.
Wade also landed Terrance Arceneaux from Houston and Tre Holloman from Michigan State in the portal before landing one of the biggest available names in former Texas Tech star Darrion Williams. Lubin now comes in as another experienced addition from a power program that should help NC State right away.