Freshman Big Man Might Be Final Piece in NC State's Rotation
In this story:
RALEIGH — Before NC State broke off for the holiday break, coach Will Wade indicated his comfort with cutting the rotation to just seven players, hoping that maybe an eighth man would emerge during ACC play. The conference opener against Wake Forest might've shown the coach who the missing piece was.
Freshman forward Musa Sagnia showed flashes during the non-conference slate of being a valuable contributor behind Ven-Allen Lubin, but there were still growing pains as the Gambian big man still needed to learn the intricacies of American basketball. Against the Demon Deacons, his potential started to be fully realized, something very promising for the Wolfpack moving forward.
How Wade is unlocking Sagnia
Get to know Musa Sagnia in Episode 14 of Around Raleigh with Coach Wade! pic.twitter.com/EDobFFDEQH
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) October 10, 2025
Wade would be the first to admit that the process of getting Sagnia on board with the Wolfpack was a difficult one. NC State effectively hit a buzzer beater when adding the international forward, with the clock hitting zero for adding players just after he arrived in Raleigh. Immediately upon arriving in August, with just days before the start of school, Sagnia needed to be brought up to speed with the rest of the roster that had been in place since the spring.
"He's a good player; it just takes some time to adjust. It just takes some time to adjust," Wade said of Sagnia. "It's a major adjustment. He got here very quickly and it's a major adjustment basketball-wise. The way we play basketball over here is different... The lack of physicality. There's just some major differences."
The D Will to Musa connection is art. pic.twitter.com/sfErh0dWNd
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 31, 2025
Sagnia's attitude made it easy for him to acclimate to the environment of the team. There is rarely a moment in any game, even when Wade is frothing at the mouth and enraged, where the big man isn't smiling. The grin became something of a joke amongst his teammates when he joined up and has remained a staple of the forward's personality since.
"I'm just trying to be myself. Play hard and just have fun with it," Sagnia said after the Wake Forest win.
It's easier to smile when you play a good game and Wednesday's win over the Demon Deacons might've been Sagnia's most complete effort. The freshman big scored six points, tying a season-high, in a new career-high 26 minutes off the bench. He hauled in eight rebounds, half of them coming on the offensive end.
Being able to trust teammates like Ven-Allen Lubin and Quadir Copeland, both well-traveled college basketball veterans, helped Sagnia develop chemistry on the fly with the Wolfpack. His effort level on the defensive end earned him more and more trust with a coaching staff that felt strongly about him before he even settled in.
"It's been great. Since I got here, everybody's been really nice," Sagnia said. "I love it out here, my teammates, my coach, the staff, everybody, it's been great. Since I got here, they've been trying to help me all the way through. Even on some bad days, they'll pick me up and it helps."
Sagnia isn't your average freshman. He already played professionally overseas as a member of Baxi Manresa in the Liga ACB, the top league in Spain. Because of that experience, he was able to accumulate knowledge of what the Wolfpack wanted to do quickly, impressing teammates like Copeland.
"We knew what Musa could do and Musa was just trying to find his way and find out the ways he could help us be the best," Copeland said. "I think today showed, even last game against Ole Miss, showed his intensity, his aggressiveness, his offensive rebounding. Him and (Lubin)... They make it work every single time... Now, I'm feeding off of Musa's energy."
Before the game, Wade told Matt Chazanow on the pregame radio show that he wanted to attack the offensive glass more. That meant trusting Sagnia and Lubin to play with one another more often moving forward. That tandem worked well with one another and combined for eight offensive rebounds in the win over the Demon Deacons.
Assuming Sagnia can continue to be effective on the defensive end, something he showed once again in the Wake matchup with his ability to switch onto guards, the staff should continue to be patient with his offensive development. If the pieces start to come together on that end, Wade might have his rotation set with Sagnia firmly in the mix.
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE
Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
Follow SennettTucker