NC State’s front court got a major boost with Ven-Allen Lubin, the last player Coach Gainey signed this season and one of the most important pieces on the roster.
Lubin arrives as a fifth-year senior and a fourth-school veteran, with a path that has been anything but ordinary. He was first recruited to Notre Dame, then moved on to Vanderbilt after his freshman year when his coach retired.
After his sophomore year, he transferred to UNC when that coach was fired. Following his junior season in Chapel Hill, he transferred to NC State for his senior year.
Then came another move after that season, when he tried to use the legal system to get one more year. Coach Gainey kept in touch through the process and made sure he knew the staff wanted him back.
Once he got his temporary restraining order, he recommitted to NC State.
There is still a legal wrinkle here. The NCAA continues to challenge the temporary restraining orders that have given college players an extra season, and has won several of those cases. Lubin’s availability depends on that TRO remaining in place for the season.
On the court, the appeal is obvious. Lubin’s best season came last year, when he set career highs in points, field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and free throw percentage. He also ranked third in the country in FG%.
Experience is another huge part of his value. He has played four seasons in power conference basketball - one in the SEC and three in the ACC - and brings 125 games of experience, the most on the team.
That matters for a roster whose centers, including Evans, Hall, and Jurkovic, have no Power 4 experience. Just practicing against Lubin, and fighting him for minutes, should sharpen that group.
Coach Gainey has also hinted at a look that could put Lubin on the floor alongside Evans at times this season. If that happens, it would help the forwards too. Wilkins has no experience, while Yalaho has one full season and part of another at Texas Tech, but only really took off once the competition eased last season at Washington State.
Offensively, Lubin is as straightforward as they come. He plays like a center because he is a center.
Over four seasons, 87.3% of his made baskets came at the rim, with 10% from far 2PT range and just 2.7% from 3PT. Last season, 95.2% of his makes were point blank, the kind Torvik labels as “dunks” or “close 2PT.”
That profile is not changing now. He’s going to the rim, not drifting around the floor hunting jumpers.
He also brings real work on the glass. Lubin ranked fifth in the ACC in offensive rebounds at 2.9 per game, which placed him in the 95th percentile of centers nationally.
On the defensive end, he was 11th in the ACC in defensive rebounds at 4.2 per game, good for the 85th percentile of centers nationally. He also blocked 4% of opponent shots, a mark that landed him in the 85th percentile of all players and the 66th percentile of centers.
That physicality is part of what makes him such a difficult matchup. Coach Gainey wants toughness, and Lubin fits that bill.
The one question is how he handles the wing spots if he does get used there. Can he keep up with quicker forwards?
Can he chase a shooter out to the arc and still recover in time to rebound? The answer, at least based on the reporting here, depends on the opponent.
He should be able to handle all but the tallest and most athletic.
The coaches have also been clear about the person they’re getting. Assistant Coach Driscoll called him “Amazing human being, really competes” and Rich Howell said, “He knows how to play the game” Coach Gainey went even further: “He’s an unbelievable young man, very mature, high character, you just like being around him.” He also said, “He’s a guy who’s been through the league and knows what it is all about and what it takes to win games.”
If he’s on the floor, the expectation is about 25-ish minutes a night of efficient play, and a player NC State will win more with than without. If he isn’t cleared to play, then the hope is that the Pack still gets every possible practice rep from him. Either way, he looks like exactly the kind of example this team needs in the front court.
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For Sensabaugh, the timing turns a routine nonconference road game into something closer to a homecoming, and it gives NC State another player worth watching as it heads into a rare setting. The Wolfpack will be trying to handle the business on the field, but for Sensabaugh, the personal stakes are obvious, and the chance to take part in this one has clearly meant a lot along the way. [Read more 🡒]