The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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TRACKING THE PACK SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 ■ 11 to know him earlier this year. In a sense, it was the perfect match based on who he is as a person and as a player on the court. "He's an amazing person and has high character," Gainey said. "To bring him back at the moment we did and the tim- ing we did, it had to be the right person and the right fit, because I feel like our chemistry is where we want it to be. Bringing in somebody on the outside, it's got to be the right fit. He was the right fit. It's great having him back." Lubin, who was a critical leader on Will Wade's only team at NC State, is expected to slide into a similar role once he assimilates into his new squad. Although this will be the first time he stays at the same school for back-to- back seasons, the Orlando, Fla., na- tive still has to adjust to practically a brand-new environment with 11 new teammates outside of junior guard Paul McNeil Jr. and sophomore forward Zy- micah Wilkins, as well as an entirely new coaching staff. That will take some time to get used to, as will learning the new terminology Gainey and his staff deploy on the court. But as a veteran who has transferred three times before in his career, this will be nothing new. Gainey was thrilled to add a quality big man like Lubin to NC State's front- court. Lubin now joins five other for- wards who were already on campus and will jump right into the competition for minutes, looking to earn a starting spot at power forward. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward is coming off a career-best campaign in which he averaged 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, pacing the ACC with a 66.8 percent shooting mark last season. Lubin scored in double figures in 27 of his 34 appearances (all starts), including a sea- son-best 24 in an overtime loss at Notre Dame, during the 2025-26 campaign. He seemed to improve as the year went along, which led to him posting 13 consecutive double-digit scoring performances from mid-January through the end of February. Gainey, who now has a plethora of op- tions to use in the frontcourt this season with each player providing a different presence on the floor, feels confident that the court ruling that Lubin benefited from to get the extra season of eligibility will not be overturned by an NCAA appeal. The team is approaching its preseason preparation with the mindset that Lubin will be in uniform on opening night. The Wolfpack planned for something like this to happen. As it turned out, the team didn't have to look far to improve its roster just two days before classes started in Raleigh. Lubin checked every box Gainey was looking for, and it all worked out in the end. "We were prepared. We had the room for him. We had the need from a po- sitional standpoint, and his versatility allows him to play all over the court," Gainey said. "It was something I can't say I saw coming, but as the fifth-year talk started happening, it felt like some- thing that could happen." Now, after a winding road of a college career, Lubin can call NC State home for this season — and the rest of his life, just as Gainey hoped when they first met. ■ A PERCENTAGE OF EVERY HOME SALE GOES TO SUPPORT ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH AND CARE. McKeeHomesNC.com | 910-672-7296 PROUD TO SUPPORT THE NC STATE WOLFPACK Faye eville | Raleigh | Pinehurst | Wilmington 2026-27 MEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER* No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School/College) 0 Preston Edmead G 6-1 170 So. Deer Park, N.Y. (Williston Northampton School/Hofstra) 1 Christian Hammond G 6-4 195 Sr. Denver (Dream City Christian/Santa Clara) 2 Paul McNeil Jr. G 6-6 190 Jr. Rockingham, N.C. (Richmond Senior) 3 Eemeli Yalaho F 6-8 230 Sr. Jyväskylä, Finland (Western Reserve/Washington State) 4 Kingston Whitty G 6-2 165 Fr. Mableton, Ga. (Christ School) 5 R.J. Keene II G 6-7 200 Gr. The Woodlands, Texas (Concordia Lutheran/Boise State) 6 Jacari Brim G 6-2 190 So. Winston-Salem, N.C. (West Forsyth/Appalachian State) 10 Comeh Emuobor F 6-5 205 Sr. Raleigh (Brewster Academy/New Hampshire) 11 Darius Adams G 6-5 190 So. Manchester, N.J. (La Lumiere/Maryland) 13 Robert Jurković F 6-9 — Sr. Ljubljana, Slovenia 14 Kyle Evans F 6-10 210 Gr. Aliso Viejo, Calif. (Santa Margarita Catholic/UC Irvine) 21 Shah Hall F 6-11 240 Sr. Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Hillcrest/Shelton State CC) 22 Ven-Allen Lubin F 6-9 250 Gr. Orlando, Fla. (Orlando Christian/North Carolina) 33 Zymicah Wilkins F 6-9 260 So. Rutherfordton, N.C. (Christ School) * As of Aug. 28