The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540860
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 ■ 29 the Wolfpack's No. 1 scoring option this season. Williams was eliciting NBA in- terest, but instead of keeping his name in the draft, he opted to team up with Wade and company in Raleigh. While Williams is set to become the alpha of the offense after averaging 21.0 points in four NCAA Tournament games last March, he isn't alone in the frontcourt. NC State also added North Carolina transfer Ven-Allen Lubin as its likely starter at center in what is be- lieved to be the first-ever direct transfer from the Tar Heels to the Wolfpack. "Ven is a tremendous player, some- body that we're going to utilize and play to his strengths," Wade said. "He's somebody with incredible finishing ability around the rim. … He's going to play a major part in our success this season." The 6-foot-9 Lubin averaged 13.6 points and 7.7 rebounds across UNC's final 10 games last season, emerging as the Tar Heels' best player down the stretch. NC State hopes he can continue that level of play for an entire season. In addition to the two headliners of the frontcourt, NC State built depth behind them with Florida State's Jerry Deng (6- 9, 230), Wyoming's Scottie Ebube (6-10, 280), Butler's Colt Langdon (6-7, 230), international freshman Musa Sagnia (6- 10, 235) and four-star freshman Zymicah Wilkins (6-9, 260). ■ NC State Men's Basketball Roster No. Name Ht., Wt. Pos. Year Hometown 0 Jordan Snell 6-3, 195 G Sr. Cary, N.C. Has appeared in 20 games since arriving at NC State in 2022 from Panther Creek High, totaling 6 points and 4 rebounds. 1 Darrion Williams 6-6, 225 F Sr. Sacramento, Calif. Earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a junior at Texas Tech. Williams was a third-team all-conference choice as a sophomore, his first sea - son with the Red Raiders after starting his college career at Nevada. 2 Paul McNeil Jr. 6-5, 190 G So. Rockingham, N.C. Made three starts and played in 24 games as a true freshman with the Wolfpack, averaging 4.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. 3 Matt Able 6-6, 205 G Fr. Baltimore Averaged 20.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game as a senior at Sagemont Prep in Weston, Fla. 5 Tre Holloman 6-2, 195 G Sr. Minneapolis Transferred from Michigan State, where he made 16 starts as a junior and averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 37 games. 7 Alyn Breed 6-3, 200 G R-Sr. Powder Springs, Ga. Scored 35 points in two games for McNeese last year before suffering a season-ending injury. Breed averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds for Providence in 2022-23, his last full season of college basketball. 10 Jayme Kontuniemi 6-4, 215 G Fr. Helsinki, Finland Spent last season with Drive Academy Espoo, helping the team go 12-0 en route to the European Youth Bas - ketball League's U20 title. 11 Quadir Copeland 6-6, 220 G Sr. Philadelphia Started 24 of 32 games at McNeese as a junior, averaging 9.5 points, 4.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game before opting to join coach Will Wade at NC State. 12 Scottie Ebube 6-10, 280 C Sr. Mundelein, Ill. Averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 67.6 percent from the floor in 23 games as a redshirt junior at Wyoming. 13 Musa Sagnia 6-10, 235 F Fr. Bakau, The Gambia Averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 33 games last season for Baxi Manresa of the Liga ACB, Spain's top professional basketball division. 15 Jerry Deng 6-9, 230 F Jr. Rochester, N.Y. Spent his sophomore season at Florida State, where he averaged 7.0 points in 31 games and ranked second on the team with 44 made three-pointers. 21 Terrance Arceneaux 6-6, 205 G R-Jr. Beaumont, Texas Averaged 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 40 games as a redshirt sophomore at Houston before transferring to NC State. 22 Ven-Allen Lubin 6-9, 250 F Sr. Orlando, Fla. Transferred from North Carolina after averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game as a junior with the Tar Heels. 33 Zymicah Wilkins 6-9, 260 F Fr. Rutherfordton, N.C. Averaged 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior at Christ School, winning North Carolina Mr. Basketball honors from The Charlotte Observer. 45 Colt Langdon 6-7, 230 F R-Fr. Raleigh Transferred to NC State after one season at Butler, during which he didn't see game action. Langdon is the all- time leading scorer at Millbrook High in Raleigh with 1,758 points. NC State is looking for Darrion Williams to be a primary scoring threat this season after he averaged 15.1 points per game for Texas Tech as a junior. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS