IPS: What Happened Between NC State and Paul Mbiya

James Henderson and Jake McSwain of Inside Pack Sports recorded a YouTube video breaking down the events that led Congolese prep center Paul Mbiya to decommit from NC State. You can watch the video above, but here’s a bulleted summary of what they shared:

• Mbiya’s initial commitment came out of nowhere. He was expected to land at Oregon. He had taken an official visit there, and they even flew overseas to watch him play.

• NC State was expected to land both Gambian forward-center Musa Sagnia and Mbiya. Sagnia was older, and if Mbiya turned out to be raw or not fully ready, the Wolfpack could lean on Sagnia at the five.

• It became unlikely that Sagnia would end up at NC State. Academics may have been an issue, given that Sagnia is a 22-year-old international player entering the college ranks.

• Without Sagnia, the question became: Could NC State count on Mbiya to be ready from the start of the season? Since Mbiya played some games professionally in France, how many games might the NCAA require him to sit out?

• Although Mbiya had verbally committed, NC State sought more proven stability and shifted its focus to UNC transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, a player they had been interested in for some time.

• Lubin had shown strong interest in joining the Wolfpack, but the funding wasn’t there at the time.

• The expectation was that Lubin would cost more than Mbiya had originally agreed to when he committed.

• Wanting someone proven and immediately eligible, NC State prioritized Lubin.

• After Lubin committed, keeping Mbiya in the fold became unlikely.

Additional context:

• It appears NC State may have redirected some of the funds originally allocated for Mbiya to Lubin.

• Two weeks ago, news surfaced that Mbiya still wanted to play for Will Wade and was reportedly willing to do so for a significantly reduced NIL package.

• Over the weekend, however, things shifted. Mbiya and his camp realized he could earn substantially more by reopening his recruitment.

• With the commitment of Wyoming transfer Scottie Ebube, it became abundantly clear that Mbiya would be heading elsewhere.

• There doesn’t appear to be any ill will from Mbiya toward NC State. After Lubin’s commitment, Wade and his staff actively tried to find Mbiya a program that would be a good fit and take care of him financially.

• Oregon, Kansas, and Michigan State seem like potential landing spots, with Oregon being the most likely.