Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin has committed to North Carolina, he announced on social media Thursday.
Lubin, who played one season apiece at Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, has two seasons of eligibility remaining. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-8, 226-pound forward averaged 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and one block per game.
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With fifth-year starting center Armando Bacot out of eligibility and forward Harrison Ingram departing for the NBA Draft, Lubin represents a much-needed frontcourt addition for the Tar Heels. Head coach Hubert Davis and his staff targeted several big men in the transfer portal earlier this offseason — including Aaron Bradshaw (who committed to Ohio State), Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas), and Cliff Omoruyi (Alabama) — but missed on all of them. That left UNC with just three playable big men for next season, none of whom were starters this year: graduate Jae’Lyn Withers, junior Jalen Washington and sophomore Zayden High. Lubin should compete immediately to start, but whether that’s at center or forward will likely be determined this summer.
Glory to the most high🙌🏾 Let’s get it Tar Heel Nation!! @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/3lwLFfI1dP
— Ven-Allen Lubin®️ (@LubinVen) May 23, 2024
Lubin plays like a conventional big even without traditional size. Last season, per CBB Analytics, the Orlando native was in the 99th percentile nationally in second-chance points per game (3.6) and the 91st percentile in offensive rebounds per game (2.5). Furthermore, per Synergy, his most-efficient offensive action was offensive putbacks, where he averaged 1.426 points per possession, which rates as “excellent.” It should be no surprise, then, that a whopping 71.6 percent of his field-goal attempts came either at the rim or in the paint; only 16.1 percent of his shots were 3-pointers, which he made at a 33.3 percent rate. Depending on how much time Lubin spends at center vs. forward, expect him to still have some floor-spacing opportunities, but he’s clearly at his best operating on the interior.
The same applies at the defensive end. Lubin was 14th in the SEC in block percentage, per KenPom, posting at least one blocked shot in 14 of 18 conference games.
Lubin is only the second transfer North Carolina has brought in this offseason, joining former Belmont sharpshooter Cade Tyson. The Tar Heels originally signed Tyson with the intent of playing him mostly on the perimeter, but like last offseason with Harrison Ingram, larger roster construction may force the coaching staff’s hand. Davis and his staff initially wanted Ingram as more of a perimeter-oriented 3, but it became apparent during the season that he was the team’s best option at power forward; Ingram ended up finishing fourth in the ACC with 8.8 rebounds per game. Tyson, at 6 feet 7, is similarly best suited for the wing but may have to slide up to forward alongside three guards: R.J. Davis, a First-Team All-American and the reigning Jerry West Award winner; Elliot Cadeau, a 31-game starter and table-setting point guard; and Ian Jackson, a top-10 incoming freshman. That would leave Lubin, at times, as the lone big man on the floor, with plenty of floor-spacing around him offensively … but also lackluster size defensively.
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Could Lubin play the four alongside Washington, who only averaged 8.3 minutes per game last season? Or will UNC, which still has two scholarships to fill, add another big body via the transfer portal? Either way, Lubin at least fills a major need and gives the Tar Heels a key piece across multiple lineups.
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(Photo: Matt Pendleton / USA Today)