Will Wade on Lubin: “The team calls him Ven-Allen Wade because I love him so much.”

Will Wade hosted his radio show on Thursday night, and one segment that really stood out was when he was asked about trust in Ven-Allen Lubin.

If you’ve listened to Wade this season, one thing is clear. He never wants his guys to get a big head. When he compliments them, it’s usually followed by something they could work on. And when NC State wins, he’s always quick to mention an area where he wants to see improvement.

So I thought it was pretty interesting that when he was asked about Lubin, he gave such a glowing response.

Listen to what he said (at the 32:05 mark)…

Wolfpack Weekly radio show with Will Wade https://t.co/09ejX9TQyh

— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 6, 2026

“The team calls him Ven-Allen Wade because I love him so much. They call him Ven-Allen Wade. That kid, he didn’t shoot it well from the free-throw line, I look out my office window on Wednesday. Our off day. We got back at 4:30 in the morning, and Ven’s in there shooting free throws. I should have known. The music was a lot better than typical. It wasn’t NBA Young Boy (a rapper) It was Ven’s music. Not all this other stuff. But He’s everything you want. He’s the unsung hero of our team. He’s an absolute warrior. He does everything we ask him to do, he’s unbelievably prepared. Just a great, great person and role model. He’s phenomenal.”

Lubin has been amazing this season for NC State, and Wade has been quick to point that out….

Here is what he said during his ACC Zoom call earlier this week…

WADE: Look, Lubin has been our most reliable and dependable guy all year. I mean, he’s been incredible for us. I appreciate you asking about him because he kind of gets lost in the shuffle, and I don’t think he’s appreciated nearly enough in terms of everything he does for our team.

Lubin has been a model of consistency for Wade.

He’s shooting an ACC best 67.8% (122/180) from the floor, which is also good for 5th nationally. And if the season ended today, it would break NC State’s single-season field goal percentage record, currently held by Manny Bates (64.1% in 2020-21).

Looking at the numbers and consistency, you can see why Ven-Allen Wade Lubin is one of coach’s favorites.