Breaking news: Coach Hubert Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels Secure Key Transfer Portal Commitment.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have significant gaps to fill in their lineup for the 2024-25 basketball season. The frontcourt rotation suffered a blow with Armando Bacot exhausting his eligibility and Harrison Ingram likely remaining in the 2024 NBA Draft.
To address these needs, the Tar Heels actively pursued players in the transfer portal. They were in contention for Oumar Ballo, Clifford Omoruyi, and Jonas Aidoo, but couldn’t secure commitments from any of them. UNC is still in the mix for Coleman Hawkins, who is also navigating the NBA Draft process.
Despite these setbacks, the Tar Heels succeeded in securing a key player on Thursday morning. According to Jeff Borzello of ESPN, they received a commitment from former Vanderbilt Commodores big man Ven-Allen Lubin.
Lubin, one of the top remaining bigs in the transfer portal, will bring stability to the Tar Heels’ frontcourt. This marks his second transfer in as many years, having played at Notre Dame before joining Vanderbilt last season.
During his breakout 2023-24 season with the Commodores, Lubin averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, with standout performances late in the season. Against Florida and Arkansas, he posted 25 points and 11 rebounds, and 21 points and 10 rebounds, respectively. Over the final nine games, he recorded three double-doubles and improved his averages to 16.2 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Lubin is poised to compete for a starting role with the Tar Heels, who currently have Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington returning as frontcourt players.
With RJ Davis coming back to Chapel Hill for another season, Hubert Davis’s roster is taking shape. The Tar Heels are likely to start the season as a top-10 team unless significant changes occur in the coming months.
