The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534227
28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN C oming off a 12-19 finish in 2024- 25 and a subsequent coaching change, the NC State men's bas- ketball team is going to look very differ- ent next season. As of April 6, five scholarship players had entered the transfer portal: forwards Ismaël Diouf and Ben Middlebrooks, guards Marcus Hill and Mike James, and swingman Dennis Parker Jr. Their ex- its have left the Wolfpack with two re- turning scholarship players: sophomore guards Paul McNeil and Trey Parker. To begin replenishing his roster, new head coach Will Wade used the transfer portal to add senior guards Quadir Cope- land and Alyn Breed, both of whom spent last season playing for Wade at McNeese State. Additionally, NC State added shoot- ing guard Matthew Able, a consensus four-star prospect in the 2025 recruit- ing class out of Tampa (Fla.) Sagemont Prep. Copeland, a Philadelphia native, averaged 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his lone season at Mc- Neese, where he earned second-team All-Southland Conference and All- Tournament Team honors. He totaled 11 double-figure scoring efforts in league play while adding 147 assists, the ninth- most in a single season in program his- tory. Copeland arrived at McNeese in hope of leading the Cowboys to a Southland Conference championship. He accom- plished that goal and grew close with Wade during their time together. Their connection began to take shape even before Copeland committed to Mc- Neese. "I feel like his best attribute wasn't really even recruiting," Copeland said. "He was just calling some days telling me how I could fit. But when he would call, he was just checking on you, mak- ing sure my mind was straight. … He did his part by actually being a coach and a good person." Before he arrived to play for the Cow- boys, Copeland spent two seasons at Syracuse, where he was an important role player for the Orange. He averaged 9.6 points with 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals as a sophomore. Breed spent last season at McNeese after starting his college career at Provi- dence. He had appeared to be in line for a major role in the Cowboys' back- court this past year, but a season-end- ing injury shut him down after just two games. The Powder Springs, Ga., native will need a medical waiver to play this com- ing season but should be able to get one rather easily. He impressed in his Mc- Neese debut, totaling 18 points and 3 steals in an 80-73 loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 4. He also scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a 72-64 loss to Alabama on Nov. 11. Copeland and Breed will be joined in Raleigh by Able, who is listed as On3's No. 21 overall player in the 2025 recruit- ing cycle. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard took an official visit to NC State in late March and went public with his deci- sion on April 5. He also visited Alabama, Baylor, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas. The standout recruit had previously been committed to Miami but backed REVAMPED WOLFPACK ROSTER BEGINS TO COALESCE 2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster* No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Year Hometown 2 Paul McNeil 6-5 180 G So. Rockingham, N.C. 5 Trey Parker 6-1 165 G So. Fayetteville, N.C. 22 Jordan Snell 6-2 165 G Sr. Cary, N.C. — Matthew Able 6-4 180 G Fr. Tampa, Fla. — Alyn Breed 6-3 190 G R-Sr. Powder Springs, Ga. — Quadir Copeland 6-6 200 G Sr. Philadelphia — Mikey Wilkins 6-8 240 F Fr. Rutherfordton, N.C. * As of April 6 When he committed to the Wolfpack on April 5, four-star Tampa shooting guard Matthew Able became coach Will Wade's first high school recruit at NC State. PHOTO COURTESY MATTHEW ABLE