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North Carolina State coach Will Wade is putting himself at the center of a basketball rivalry with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Wade took a vicious swipe at Hubert Davis after stealing a player from UNC’s roster.
He questioned Davis’s basketball IQ at an offseason donor event. The words are sure to resurface when the Wolfpack takes on the Tar Heels next season.
Wade took over as North Carolina State’s head coach this past March after spending two seasons at McNeese. In those two campaigns, he took the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. In his most recent run, he bested his alma mater, Clemson, in the opening round.
He now gets a second chance at the Power 4 level following a tumultuous exit from LSU. He’s wasted no time putting a target on his back.
Will Wade referenced the recent transfer of forward Ven-Allen Lubin. He suited up for the Tar Heels last year after previous stints at both Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
With the Commodores, Lubin averaged 12.3 points a night. That number dipped, as did his playing time, at UNC. Wade doesn’t understand why.
Shots fired? 🤔 @TheFieldOf68 pic.twitter.com/38KgtNfNHe
— NCSU Agenda Pusher (@St8agendapusher) June 15, 2025
Wade shaded Hubert Davis on his refusal to play Ven-Allen Lubin. “The other school was too dumb to play him,” he said. It seems Lubin will be a mainstay in the NC State lineup moving forward.
Lubin left North Carolina in the offseason after just one year. He averaged less than 20 minutes a night to go along with 8.7 points and 5.5 boards.
The forward shot 68% from the floor, but a lack of consistent usage led him to transfer. He landed with the Wolfpack when Will Wade took over.
Now, he’ll look to make the Tar Heels pay for letting him walk. North Carolina will face off against NC State in Raleigh next year.