WATCH: Around Raleigh With Coach Wade Episode 4: Ven-Allen Lubin (with transcript)

NC State Men’s Basketball released their 4th episode of Around Raleigh With Coach Wade today. Coach Wade sat down with Forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who transferred to NC State this offseason from UNC. You can read the transcript below, and watch the video underneath.

WW: Welcome to the famous Amedeo’s. Here with Ven-Allen Lubin. Excited to be back. I feel like I’ve been back here every day since we’ve been doing unofficial and official visits. This is where we bring most of our guys to eat.

When Vin came on his visit though, he just came right to the practice facility and right back out. We snuck him in and snuck him out. We didn’t take him to eat. We didn’t do anything like that. Went right in the room and watched some film and then came back out.

Very excited to have Vin-Allen Lubin with us today. Talk about your high school career and how you and your family got to Orlando. Your parents came from Haiti when they were both 17 years old and relocated to Florida. Just talk a little bit about the family growing up, your Haitian background, then getting to OCP and then winning that big state championship.

VAL: Like you said, my family migrated here to the U.S. when they were 17 years old. They came straight to Orlando. They were just trying to find a job. They were trying to find a way to survive and just make a living for us and my siblings. For them to do that for us, to give us the lifestyle that they gave us, to sacrifice to have  the things we needed was incredible.

I grew up with three other siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. We all pretty much played sports.

The person that really brought me into basketball was my older brother Lubenique. He showed me the way. He made me fall in love with the game a lot and we kind of just played in the backyard for a really long time. Just playing one-on-one, playing with my little brother, things like that. It was a very competitive environment, and so for them to actually put the ball in my hands. for them to show me the way of basketball, and also life, it was really meaningful to me.

When I got to Orlando Christian Prep, it was really decisive for me, because it was what I would need to do in order to take the next step to play at the collegiate level that I wanted to play.

I was very grateful to play in the program, to play along side a lot of great players and play for him, because he did a lot for me.

WW: That’s awesome. Let’s talk a little bit about your name. Unique name. Ven-Allen. I know the background. We’ve talked about it, but how did the name come about? It sounds like there’s a little indecision, so we just came together with two names here.

VAL: I think from what she told me, from what I can remember, was that she just couldn’t decide between Ven or Allen. She really liked those two names, and I think something just came to her, and said let’s see if we do this combined to make it unique, and that’s just kind of how it came to be.

WW: I love it. That’s good. Unique is good. Let’s talk about your college journey. Originally out of OCP, you went to Notre Dame, and then there was a coaching change at Notre Dame. You went to Vanderbilt. Had some really good years at Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, there was a coaching change at Vanderbilt, and then you ended up at North Carolina. Talk about your journey through college, from Notre Dame to Vanderbilt to North Carolina.

VAL: Coach Mike Brey was a very great guy off the court. He supported me. He took me under his wings. He did everything he could to help me in the situation that I was at, just to put me in the spotlight. I really appreciate him for giving me the opportunity to play in a program like that, to put me on the floor, to show off my capabilities, and unfortunately with the coaching change, it made me decide to go someplace else. When I heard that Coach Stackhouse was at Vanderbilt, it’s kind of hard to know there’s a former NBA player that knows a lot about the game has great.

WW: Tremendous offensive coach. Tremendous. He can get anybody an open shot. He knows. He could give me an open shot.

VAL: Sure can. But the experience he had in the G-League as well, I knew that he would definitely teach me to know more about the game, and just see the potential in me as well, so I just went there knowing that it was going to be best for me, and it really was. I really think I had a great year with the guys I was with, the coaching staff I was with. I love them. It was really great experience. I enjoyed it. That took me to another location, which is UNC, and I really did enjoy that experience as well. I learned a lot about myself. I learned about different environments and how to adapt through any circumstance. I know that anything’s possible with my lord and savior, so with that experience, and just knowing what I was capable of doing on-and-off the court, was just a testament that no matter what happens, you are capable of doing these things. Just to go out there and put that in your mindset. To know that we have these opportunities, you need to take advantage of it, not let it pass by, that’s what I did at UNC no matter what was going on. Every time I stepped on the floor, I just showed out and did the best I could.

WW: In those last 10 games, you especially showed out, and then in the ACC tournament you were incredible. We want you to keep playing well in the ACC tournament, that’s for sure. We want to take those 10 games, and make it into a season-long stretch, but what really clicked for you down the stretch, was it just you getting a little more comfortable, getting a little more at ease with everything that was going on at UNC, because down the stretch you were you were as good as any player in this league.

VAL: I think it was just my mindset, just knowing that I’ve got to do what’s best for me, and I’ve always got to do what’s best for the team. I can contribute in many ways on the floor. It doesn’t have to be all about points, even though I can do that.

WW: You were the best rebounder too.

VAL: Exactly. So I can show that out too, something I could bring to the table defensively, getting blocks, getting deflections, getting steals, just to be active and do whatever it takes to win. I’ve got to be very aggressive, and very assertive as well, just to be able to put my team where we need to be.

WW: Well I know the Wolfpack fans are going to be extremely excited about having Ven in the red and white this year. We’re excited. As a coach, one of the highest compliments I can say about a player is they’re reliable and dependable, and there’s not a more reliable and dependable player on our roster than Ven-Allen Lubin, and I mean that in the in the best way possible. I think he’s going to have a tremendous year for us, a career year that he’s earned after he’s been through three different schools, and we’re going to make the last part the strongest part, and the last part the best part. We’re very excited to have him running with the Pack.

Ven-Allen shares his passion for basketball, story behind his name, and his journey on the court.

Episode 4 of Around Raleigh with Coach Wade ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/XhO9t8UYLu

— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) July 18, 2025