By R.L. Bynum
After one season at North Carolina, Ven-Allen Lubin is transferring to rival N.C. State to join first-year Wolfpack coach Will Wade.
Lubin confirmed his decision on X (formerly Twitter) Sunday afternoon. It will be Lubin’s fourth school in four years after playing Notre Dame as a freshman, Vanderbilt as a sophomore and UNC as a junior.
When he entered the transfer portal, he tweeted he intended to return to Carolina and that his “action relates to the complexities surrounding the possible approval of the pending NCAA settlement.”
He obviously had an about-face, or his situation at Carolina changed. With Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar coming in, Lubin would have come off the bench. It’s not clear where Lubin will fall on the N.C. State depth chart.
He started for the Tar Heels over the last month of the season, averaging 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season. Lubin’s best game last season was his 20-point, 10-rebound performance in UNC’s 74–71 loss to Duke in the ACC tournament semifinals.
Lubin is Wade’s seventh transfer, joining Florida State forward Jerry Deng, Houston forward Terrance Arceneaux, Butler forward Colt Langdon, Michigan State point guard Tre Holloman and McNeese guards Quadir Copeland and Alyn Breed.
Last season, former UNC and Georgetown guard Dontrez Styles played his senior season with the Wolfpack.
Cade Tyson became the final player on Carolina’s 2024–25 roster who entered the transfer portal to commit. On Sunday, he committed to Minnesota.
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Luka Bogavac, Isaiah Denis, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Jonathan Powell, James Brown, Ivan Matlekovic and Zayden High return and the players in the incoming freshman class hold in their commitment (Dylan Mingo has reopened his recruitment), which would put UNC sevenunder the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–5 | 215 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 13 | RS senior | Henri Veesaar | 5 | 7–0 | 225 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
X — Virginia Tech transfer
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | |
| Isaiah Denis | Sophomore | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Last Tuesday — Transfer portal opened
Thursday — Deadline to request evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
11:59 p.m. Tuesday — Transfer portal closes
11:59 p.m. April 26 — NBA early-entry deadline
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
Week of June 22 (date to be determined) — NBA Draft
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
