WOLFERETTI: My take on roster construction, Jerry Deng’s important role and Musa Sagnia’s rise

If you know me, you know I’ve been amped up for this basketball season.

And obviously, as someone who has been frustrated with the direction of the program, the inability to land the big fish that would bring NC State back into the national conversation, I was ecstatic when they announced the Will Wade hire.

I know everyone has their own opinion when it comes to coaching, but as someone who has spent nearly his entire life around NC State fans, went to NC State, and now covers NC State, I think it’s clear to everyone payihng attention the type of coach that moves the needle for this fanbase….

Heck, I wrote an entire article about it in March.

WOLFERETTI: The Will Wade hire is the hire NC State fans have been begging for since Jimmy Vhttps://t.co/HwO16qL3jP

— Pack Insider (@PackInsider) March 19, 2025

But the idea of Wade coaching and him actually on the sidelines is two separate things.

After two games, and two technical fouls….I’m back to report. Wolfpack nation… We’ve got our guy!

Will Wade has put together a team so deep and talented that the mop-up duty guys would probably handily beat last year’s starting 5. That’s not a knock on Keatts (yes, it is), but a testament to where Will Wade wants to bring this program.

Here are my thoughts after 2 games…

–  I love the personnel choices.
The lineup that is starting is the one I predicted, and the one that gives NC State the best mix of offense and defense. It gives you the playmaking ability on both ends of Copeland, the ball handling, toughness, defense, and shooting you get from Holloman. The size and scoring of Paul McNeil Jr, the overall package you get from Darrion Williams and the muscle of VAL. But on top of that I’ve loved seeing how he’s using Matt Able and Musa Sagnia (we’ll get into these guy in a second.)

– Musa Sagnia is about to be a problem. He’s 2nd in the ACC in rebounds per minute. 
Again, the roster construction is elite. You have a veteran big in Ven-Allen Lubin. Sometimes you need a physical presence in the paint. Extra points if that physicality comes with seniority. There are teams that are going to try to bully you on the blocks and that’s when you Lubin. Sometims you need to settle it down, dump it inside and get 2.  But sometimes you come up against a team that is versatile and athletic. Sometimes you need a rim protector who can make a playmaking guard who is attacking the rim, think twice. This is where Sagnia steps in. He’s going to take some time to get really comfortable, but his 6’10 frame with elite length is alreay paying dividends. He hasn’t really shown his offense quite yet (8 points in two games), but his rebounding has been amazing. He’s got 14 in limited minutes. That’s 7 per game, but it’s the efficiency that has been head-turning. He’s only played 35 minutes. That’s .40 rebounds per minute. This ranks him second league-wide, just behind Amani Hansberry (Virginia Tech) at 0.401.

– The big ‘offense’ question seems to have been overblown
Coming into the season, there was a question about the NC State offense. Who would score for them consistently? Could they shoot from 3pt range? In fact, most people agreed that it’d be their defense that would be the sure bet. However, early on, the offense has been dominant. They have 5 guys averaging double figures and four of those guys are over 14ppg. The team is shooting an elite 41% from long range and 56% from the floor. With Matt Able and Musa Sagnia still growing into their roles and aboth having some offensive upside that’s untapped, people should be pretty impressed with the outlook for this offense.

– Quadir Copland is a game-changer and was seriously underappreciated this offseason.
See the “Quadir Copeland: Will Wade’s Secret Weapon” article.

– Is Jerry Deng a 6’9 Scott Wood? 
Deng has played 29 minutes, has scored 18 points and is shooting 40% from 3pt range. He’s instant offense and has already shown off his range. He’s not ONLY a catch and shoot guy, but he is an elite catch and shoot guy. Remember, NC State’s last elite catch and shoot guy was Scott Wood, who was a 41% 3pt shooter for his career at NC State.