With all the changes for the UNC basketball roster and the excitement surrounding Caleb Wilson, it was easy to forget that former Tar Heels players were making their debuts with new teams last week. The list included Ven-Allen Lubin, who stunned us all by signing with NC State.
Caleb Wilson takes home 2 honors in dream 1st week with UNC basketball
When VAL made the move from Chapel Hill to Raleigh, people were livid with head man Hubert Davis, as the thought was that he didn't give Lubin enough playing time and he essentially helped an in-state rival add a quality big man. Some people were so mad, it pushed them to call for Davis to be fired.
Now that everyone has calmed down and Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar is turning heads at the Dean Dome, it seems like a lot of haters are realizing that maybe Davis knew what he was doing. Through two games, Lubin is averaging nine points and 4.5 rebounds per game, doing so in only 18.5 minutes of action a night. What happened to Will Wade playing him more?
Think Will Wade just doesn’t know how to use VAL properly🙃 pic.twitter.com/zhuUJXYjJn
— Myroslav Holodynskyi (@MyrOsLove) November 10, 2025
Ven-Allen Lubin is off to a slow start with NC State after leaving UNC basketball
Obviously, the season is still young, but with Lubin off to a bit of a slow start, it sure makes his loss a bit more easy to deal with for the Heels. Can you imagine if Lubin was looking sensational and Veesaar was struggling early on? People would be bashing Davis left and right. Remember when Wade threw shade at Davis for not playing Lubin enough too? It was absurd then and it still is now.
Instead, Veesaar is posting 17 points and seven rebounds per game through two contests, of course highlighted by his fantastic showing in the win over Kansas last Friday night. In that victory, the big fella finished second only to Wilson with 20 points. He has 14 rebounds in his first two games too.
Obviously, we're not wishing any ill will towards Lubin here. We wish him the best, but plenty of UNC supporters didn't like the way he handled his exit, especially after he announced on social media that his plan was to return to Chapel Hill to play for the Heels in 2025-26. Instead, he bolted for NC State, but things are going just fine for UNC and Davis with Wilson, Veesaar and others looking strong.