One of the more surprising stories that emerged this offseason surrounded Ven-Allen Lubin's departure from the UNC basketball program.
On April 21, Lubin entered the transfer portal, but indicated on social media that he fully intended on returning to North Carolina. The reason, he claimed, for entering the portal was due to the "complexities surrounding the possible approval of the pending NCAA settlement."
Well, that was simply not the case, as Lubin ultimately transferred 25 miles down the road to NC State.
On the Wolfpack's first day of official practice, Lubin opened up a bit about his decision to leave North Carolina for NC State:
“It was really just a decision for myself and the people in my circle. We wanted to figure out what’s gonna be next for me and what’s gonna be best for me."
He then went on to talk about North Carolina, expressing that he appreciated his lone season in Chapel Hill:
“I have respect for UNC. Just grateful for them giving me an opportunity to play for them. I just believe that whatever happened through that moment was just for a reason and it led me here. So, I have no regret in being here. I look forward to what’s gonna happen.”
While Lubin said the right things while speaking to the media, there's simply much more to this. With the addition of Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels essentially couldn't promise Lubin the playing time he experienced a season ago, especially regarding a starting role. Instead of returning and being a role player off the bench, Lubin made a decision to take his talents elsewhere in hopes of securing a bigger role for his final season of college basketball.
NC State seems to be giving Lubin everything he wants: the opportunity to be more explosive, play multiple positions, while also expanding his game beyond the three-point line. North Carolina likely couldn't offer that to him, so you can't really fault him for finding a new home elsewhere.
Let's face it: transferring directly from North Carolina to NC State is the reason why this story is such a big deal, as this is a rare occurrence that might become more of a trend down the road.