He’s also a sparkplug, a guaranteed mismatch, a playmaker, and most importantly, a leader.
But the Copeland you see today wasn’t the Copeland we saw at Syracuse a few years back.
The Philly product moved down to Florida to play for IMG during high school, hoping to be molded into a more complete player. At the time he was a 6’6 combo guard who wasn’t a consistent shooter from long range. He was wiry,slippery and had good vision, but just didn’t really look the part of a classic PG. He had a lot of flash and athleticism, but he also turned the ball over more than you’d like and at 6’6 most coaches saw him as a guy they could mold into a playmaking wing.
At Syracuse, even Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim wasn’t sure how to use Copeland as a freshman. He played 9 minutes per game, most of which were off the ball, and finished averaging 2 points and less than 1 assist.
In year two, under new coach Adrian Autry, Copeland’s role increased, but Autry opted to run the offense through sophomore Judah Mintz, rather than take a shot on Copeland, a guy who really had never been handed the reins as a PG. Copeland was a bigger part of that Syracuse team, averaging 22 minutes, 9 points, 5 boards, and 2.8 assists. He did handle the ball some, but Mintz was a ball-dominant PG, so Copeland was relegated to the wing again.
But there were some obvious signs that Copeland had a lot more to offer.
I remember watching State take on Syracuse during the ’23-24 season. Copeland took that game over. I had never heard of him at the time, but the type of plays he was making weren’t the kind that your average college player makes. He was dripping with athleticism, had an obvious high on-court IQ, and was dripping with moxy.
When I looked him up postgame and saw this type of game wasn’t the norm for him, I wondered what his deal was. I remember thinking, “Maybe he’s a head-case and can’t find consistency.” In hindsight, it’s clear. They were misusing his skillset.
When Keatts’ job security started to look shaky, and Will Wade’s name started to surface towards the latter part of the ’24-25 season, I once again saw Copeland’s name when I looked at the McNeese State roster.
Interesting. This kid, oozing with talent, dropped down to the Southland Conference. I was intrigued.
His rebounding took a dip at McNeese State, going from 4.6 to 3.3 per game, while his assists went from 2.8 to 4.5 per game. It was a simple usage adjustment, and it seemed to finally unlock Quadir Copeland’s true potential.
All it took was a coach who could pair his skillset with this personality. He needed a coach who could think outside of the box. He found that in Will Wade.
Copeland is not your average college basketball player. Not from a skill perspective and not from a personality perspective. He’s unique. He’s creative. He’s savvy. He’s fiery. But most of all, he’s a winner and a leader.
It took a coach willing to get to know him, trust him, and realize the value of Quadir Copeland on a basketball team is best extracted when you hand him the reins and let him orchestrate.
Wade is the perfect coach for that. You can see how the two work so well together. Wade allows him to freelance, to facilitate, to make plays. But at the same time, Copeland is still just 22 years old, and at times can try to do too much. Wade is there to check him and make sure he keeps his focus.
The marriage is perfect. It’s like a parent who isn’t too controlling, is willing to give their kid some freedom to explore their potential, but when things start to veer over the guardrails, they step in and reposition them on the right path.
As I’ve watched Copeland and Wade work together last year and the beginning of this year, I see the mutual respect for each other’s craft, and that respect is helping fuel success.
Last night, Copeland was the biggest difference maker on the floor, in my opinion. He quietly dropped 18 points on 5-7 shooting (2-3 from 3pt range) and dished out 5 assists.
Over NC State’s first 2 games, he’s poured in 33 points while adding 8 assists and is 8-10 from the floor (3-4 from 3pt range).
But stats aren’t the whole story here. Copeland is a huge stressor for opposing defenses. With the ball in his hands, the defense is automatically on its heels. He’s constantly trying to create rim pressure. Drive, stopped, retreat, drive, stopped…call for screen, attack on the pick and roll. Defending a guy with this type of motor, that is this slippery and agile, that is 6’6, athletic, and has elite vision, is an absolute nightmare. It’s exhausting, and while those stats don’t make the box score, Copeland is wearing out opposing defenses with his style of play.
Now, sure he turned the ball over 4 times last night, which is too much for a normal PG, and Wade made it clear about his frustration with TOs from his guards, but sometimes you live with a few miscues if they are being balanced out by the type of playmaking Quadir is giving you.
In the post-game press conference, I asked Wade about his philosophy on turnovers, understanding that he wants NONE, but wondering if he’s a little more ok with a few from a guy like Copeland, who is applying so much pressure to the defense with his playmaking and rim pressure.
Wade didn’t take the bait, likely for Copeland’s sake. He doesn’t want to create a culture where mistakes are brushed off or excuses are used, I get it. But it’s no doubt Wade understands that part of Quadir’s value is his ability to get into the lane and make plays, draw fouls and move the defense. Sometimes, with all of that going on, turnovers will happen.
But this just goes to show you why success has followed Will Wade.
Nobody on the NC State side (fans or pundits) viewed Quadir Copeland as the starting PG for NC State this season (well, maybe aside from our own Joey Wolferetti, who made the case for it in early October). But it was widely believed that Tre Holloman would be the de facto PG. However, Holloman’s skill set is actually better suited as an off-guard when Copeland is on the floor. But how many coaches would make that call?
And if we want to go back a few months, Quadir Copeland was likely the reason that NC State went all in on Darrion Williams when PJ Haggerty was all but committed to NC State. Taking the ball-dominant Haggerty, who was demanding to play at PG, would have decreased Copeland’s touches. And while PJ is an absolute stud that any team would love to have (he just dropped 27 in his season opener for K State), I think Copeland might be more valuable for a coach looking to build a program, like Wade.
Quadir is a leader, he is a culture builder, he makes everyone on his team better, and he makes Will Wade’s job a heck of a lot easier.
Copeland is a game-changer for NC State. He’s Wade’s secret weapon, and when we look back in a few years, I think we will see Quadir Copeland as an important foundational piece of what Will Wade is building here in Raleigh.
