Will Wade has wasted no time making waves in his first offseason as the head coach at NC State, assembling one of the top transfer classes in the country—and perhaps the strongest in the ACC. Among his notable additions is big man Ven-Allen Lubin, who spent the 2024–25 season at North Carolina. In a historic move, Lubin became the first player to transfer directly from UNC to NC State, and Wade didn’t hold back when addressing how his new forward was used in Chapel Hill.
“The other school was too dumb to play him,” Wade said. “When [Lubin] plays 28-plus minutes—and he’s done that in 23 games—he averages 15 points and 8 rebounds. I don’t know why the hell they didn’t play him, but we’re going to. So he’s going to average 15 and 8 for us.”
The new head coach of NC State, Will Wade, is already stoking the flames of the in-state rivalry with North Carolina, and in a high-pressure season for UNC head coach Hubert Davis, he’s drawing attention for not playing Ven-Allen Lubin during his only season with the Tar Heels.
Last season, the Tar Heels were a major disappointment, barely squeezing into the NCAA Tournament despite entering the 2024 preseason ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll. Lubin, who averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game at UNC, was one of the more underused players on the roster.
If Lubin can come in and be a significant contributor for Wade and the Wolfpack, it won’t reflect well on Davis, especially after Wade’s bold comments. NC State has assembled the No. 30 overall transfer class in the nation, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Team Rankings, with former Texas Tech standout Darrion Williams among the key additions. Lubin himself was ranked as the No. 21 small forward in the portal.
While it remains to be seen how a team made up entirely of transfers will perform under a new head coach, Wade and NC State have the potential to be a serious contender in the ACC next season. ESPN has the Wolfpack ranked No. 24 in its current preseason rankings, alongside four other ACC teams: Louisville (No. 7), Duke (No. 12), and UNC (No. 25).
Although Duke and Louisville are considered the favorites to top the ACC next season, NC State is right on their heels and could shake up the conference under Wade’s leadership.
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