In Just A Few Weeks, Will Wade Has Really Shaken Things Up In The Triangle

You might consider the Lubin transfer a shot across the baby blue bow.

With the transfer of Ven-Allen Lubin from UNC, Will Wade’s roster is most likely complete. And with the addition of Lubin, Wade has managed to stir up Planet Carolina in a way that no State coach has done since Norm Sloan - and he hasn’t even coached a game yet.

So let’s look at what sort of roster Wade has put together for his first season in Raleigh, and then let’s ask what we think is the most interesting question of the upcoming season.

Only one player is back - 6-2 sophomore Paul McNeil. He showed some flashes and could be a much-improved player with a fresh start.

Here are the players who transferred in via the portal.

He brings in two of his McNeese players in Alyn Breed (6-3 senior) and Quadir Copeland (6-6 junior).

Breed spent three years at Providence but didn't really get to play at McNeese last season due to a knee injury. His teammates were very impressed with his game before that, so we’ll have to see where he is now. Worth mentioning: he had a gun charge while at Providence, but apparently it didn’t amount to much.

You may remember Copeland from his stint at Syracuse. He’s reasonably athletic but not wildly gifted offensively. However, he is an excellent passer and should be a competent defender. We expect him to be a real asset.

Tre Holloman (6-2 junior), who was very well-liked at Michigan State, figures to be the starting point guard for State. Tom Izzo was said to be”very surprised” that Holloman left. Make of that what you will.

Darrion Williams (6-6 junior) averaged 15.5 ppg and 5.5 boards at Texas Tech last season. Wade calls him a “nightmare matchup” and says he’s both smart and strong.

Terrence Arcenaux (6-6 sophomore) comes over from Houston, where he struggled through an Achilles injury that limited to 11 games in 2023-24. He got into 40 this past season and averaged 20.3 minutes. He looks like a guy who could take a big advance if he’s fully healthy and we’d think, at a minimum, he could be very helpful defensively. Obviously, Kelvin Sampson would not have played him if he didn't defend.

We didn’t get a huge impression of FSU’s Jerry Deng (6-7 sophomore), but he is mobile and can shoot. Leonard Hamilton’s system might not have been the best place for him to show his talents.

Colt Langdon (6-6 freshman) comes home to Raleigh, where he racked up 1,758 points before reclassifying and heading off to Butler, where he redshirted this past season. His coach at Milbrook, Chris Davis, said this about him: “Everybody thinks about the scoring, but he’s the kind of kid that he hates losing more than anything else. He’s gonna do all the little things, he’s gonna rebound, he’s gonna defend, he’s gonna dive for loose balls, he’s gonna take a charge.” He showed a lot of maturity at Millbrook, so we’ll see how this works out. Could be a longer-term play but who knows right now?

Then of course, there’s Lubin, who took some time to build a role in Chapel Hill and leaving after he broke through. He’ll help. We’re not sure what his role might be, but he absolutely will help.

Wade also brings in three freshmen - Paul Mbiya (6-11), Mikey Wilkins (6-9) and Matthew Able (6-5).

Mbiya is likely to start. He’s got significant international experience, having played in France for three years. To an extent, he’s a mystery, but in the short term, if he defends and rebounds, he’s got a great role he can build on. He may be further along than that. Hard to know, really.

Zymicah “Mikey” Wilkins (6-9) comes to State via the Christ School, where the Plumlee brothers - Miles, Mason and Marshall - all matriculated. He originally signed with Kevin Keatts and Wade must have liked what he saw. Here’s what his high school coach, Josh Coley said: “He is a unicorn in his best sense. He is very, very unique and very special to coach because he can do so much. I think his greatest gift is that he’s never uncomfortable in any place you put him on the floor. No matter where you put him, he’s comfortable and no matter what you ask of him, he will do. I think he’s the ultimate team guy who wants to win at all costs.”

Sounds somewhat like Langdon.

Finally, Matthew Able (6-5) was nearly a Top 20 prospect. He was set for Miami before Jim Larranaga quit. He’s a very promising guard and should get early minutes, assuming he makes the transition okay and, of course, plays defense.

One of the things that has changed in the portal era is that you get pop-up teams that can completely change from the previous year, which is exactly what State is going to have. It worked well at Duke last year, but it’s a gamble. You just don’t know and most of all it’s impossible to predict chemistry.

Assuming that everything works though, it looks like Wade has a solid roster, and we know from his previous three stops that he can coach. That was never in doubt; the question was about his ethics. We may have seen a whiff of that already, actually, though it’s impossible to know why Tom Izzo said he was “surprised” that Holloman transferred.

Wade joked recently that NIL stands for “now it’s legal,” a nod to the scandal that ended his time at LSU.

Well, he’s not wrong about that, but tampering is still illegal, and academic fraud is a potential issue too. We’re not suggesting that he’s going to cheat that way, but he has shown a willingness to cut corners and cheat previously, so you can't rule it out.

For now though, it looks like State is going to be tough this coming season and that could change the Triangle dynamic.

When State hired Everett Case in 1946, he began to dominate the ACC. UNC responded by hiring Frank McGuire in 1952. It was a splashy hire and McGuire led UNC to the national championship in 1957.

He was forced out in 1961 and UNC opted to hire assistant Dean Smith, assuming he would crumble beneath the heavy restrictions placed on the program after a recruiting scandal and the 1961 point shaving scandal that affected many schools and which led to the death of the Dixie Classic.

Smith did not crumble of course and led UNC to great heights, staying in his post until 1997.

Duke rose in the 1960’s under former Case assistant Vic Bubas and when he retired after the 1969 season, NC State, which had declined in the 1960’s, revived under his former teammate Norm Sloan. NC State hit legendary status during the David Thompson era and then Duke surged again in the late 1970’s.

Jim Valvano led State to the 1983 national championship and was forced out in 1990.

Duke took off in 1984 under Mike Krzyzewski and remains a powerful national team and brand in 2025.

Look back, though: other than the horrible Matt Doherty era, UNC hasn’t been the third worst team in the Triangle since 1961, which is pretty amazing.

However, if things go as well as it looks like they might in Raleigh this season, UNC might fall behind Duke and State for the first time in 64 years.

And if Lubin blossoms and starts talking about why he’s happier in Raleigh than he was in Chapel Hill...well, add that to the obvious unhappiness from former Heels Elliot Cadeau, Drake Powell and Caleb Love, all of whom left feeling unappreciated by Hubert Davis, and you have a pretty clear pattern.

If Wade significantly outperforms Davis in his first year, the pressure to do something about Davis is going to be huge. And keep in mind that his boss, Bubba “the Love Sponge” Cunningham, is also probably hearing about the ridiculous mess between Bill Belichick and his half-century younger girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

If Davis is erratic again and the Belichick mess continues to embarrass Cunningham and UNC, the pressure to something - anything! - will be immense.

And most interestingly of all, the Dean Smith coaching tree has pretty much dried up.

If you were UNC, would you let this AD hire their successors?

Doesn’t seem likely.

In short, UNC could be about to clean house, and it could be historic.