Story by
UNC basketball starter commits to in-state rival
- Story by
- UNC basketball starter commits to in-state rival
The North Carolina Tar Heels are acing the offseason college basketball transfer portal , landing virtually an entirely new starting lineup.
UNC's greatest addition is Henri Veesaar , the 7-foot center who comes over from Arizona. North Carolina also added point guard Kyan Evans, hometown kid Jarin Stevenson (power forward), plus a pair of shooting guards in Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young.
Advertisement
The Tar Heels also expected to get Ven-Allen Lubin back from the transfer portal , with last year's starting center testing the waters, but announcing his "full intention" for a UNC return. Not only will Lubin play basketball elsewhere during the 2025-2026, but he picked one of the most hated destinations amongst the Chapel Hill faithful.
On Sunday, Lubin committed to the NC State Wolfpack, who are suddenly a team to watch with the offseason hiring of head coach Will Wade.
I'm confused by Lubin's decision, but not surprised, given North Carolina's roster construction for its 2025-2026 season.
Lubin, standing at 6-foot-8, was an undersized center for the Tar Heels last year. With the addition of Veesaar and James Brown's return, Lubin would be a third-string center. There's no doubting that Lubin was an important part of an unexpected NCAA Tournament run, though: 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game across 20 starts.
Advertisement
At power forward, UNC will almost certainly start 5-star freshman Caleb Wilson . North Carolina can roll with the more experienced option in Stevenson, though, as he grew up in Chapel Hill and started the past two seasons at Alabama.
In Raleigh, Lubin joins a frontcourt that includes Florida State transfer Jerry Deng and international center Paul Mbiya. There's no guarantee that Lubin starts, but he has an increased chance for minutes at NC State, compared to in Chapel Hill.
Lubin will play for his fourth team in four seasons, something that is becoming increasingly commonplace with the transfer portal.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC center Ven-Allen Lubin commits to NC State in transfer portal
