The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543694
MARCH/APRIL 2026 ■ 23 and No. 3 player in Florida, he originally committed to Miami but had second thoughts after the Hurricanes underwent a coaching change. He quickly pivoted and ended up becoming Wade's first high school signee as head coach at NC State. Although it took Able time to get his feet under him against higher-level com- petition, including a 9-for-32 shooting mark (4-for-15 from three-point range) in the Wolfpack's five résumé-building- opportunities in the nonconference sea- son, the first-year guard has blossomed in ACC competition. Heading into NC State's regular-season finale against vis- iting Stanford on March 7, he was shoot- ing 35.2 percent from three-point range and 41.2 percent overall, averaging 8.6 points per game while playing just 53 per- cent of the available minutes. Able's most-impactful performance came under the brightest lights of his career when the Wolfpack played host to North Carolina in a sold-out Lenovo Center on Feb. 17. The 19,367 sets of eye- balls didn't rattle NC State's emerging star. If anything, the spotlight had the opposite effect, bringing out the best in him. Against a Tar Heels team that was ranked 16th in the AP poll at the time, he poured in a season-high 19 points, including a 5-for-7 performance from three-point range — his sixth consecu- tive game with at least one made triple. It was a full-circle moment for Able. He rose to the occasion in what felt like a must-win game for the Wolfpack af- ter it had dropped consecutive contests against Louisville and Miami. Able had scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor against the visiting Hur- ricanes on Feb. 14, but that strong per- formance came in a heartbreaking 77-76 loss. Against the Tar Heels, the mood was very different. This time, he had played a key role in a huge victory, putting all of his early-season struggles behind him in the process. Wade, who has taken Able under his wing lately, has been impressed with the first-year guard's ability to leave his dif- ficulties in the past and narrow his focus to what's ahead of him. It's an uncommon trait for any player at the college level, but especially for a true freshman who is still evolving. "He's got incredible mental tough- ness," Wade said. "He's got an incred- confidence. If a shot is off the mark, he knows he needs to have faith that the next one will go down with ease. Austen Lee, his private basketball skills trainer, has seen the kind of results that Able's mindset can produce. "He doesn't settle for mediocrity," Lee told The Wolfpacker last summer. "He won't move on until it's great, whatever drill it is. He wants to be perfect." High-Impact Performances For all the work he did to prepare, Able knew that his collegiate career wasn't going to be smooth sailing all the way through. He was fine with that. He wanted to be pushed, and in Wade, he saw a coach who could refine his game and get the most out of his abundant talent. A Baltimore native, Able had come to NC State after spending his senior year at Sagemont Prep in Weston, Fla. He averaged 20.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.9 assists per game, shoot- ing 40 percent from three-point range in helping lead the Lions to the Florida High School Athletic Association 1A state title last year. Listed by On3 as the nation's No. 19 overall prospect, No. 6 shooting guard