NC State Looking at Another Pair of Frontcourt Players in the Transfer Portal
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RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball is a program in transition. First-year head coach Justin Gainey is working diligently to rebuild a roster that sustained significant losses after the departure of the program's previous coach, Will Wade, as well as senior losses. Over the last month, Gainey added several key pieces to fill out his first team, while also retaining a couple of players.
The most important part of the roster might be the frontcourt, at least in the modern era of college basketball, where positional size wins. Gainey wants his NC State program to be built on toughness, making big men a priority in the transfer portal. The Wolfpack only has a few spots left to fill and appears to be circling in on a pair of potential portal additions for the frontcourt. Who are they?
UNLV forward Jacob Bannarbie
UNLV sophomore Jacob Bannarbie will enter the transfer portal, a source tells @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) April 6, 2026
Averaged 5.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.3 APG this season, shooting 51.9% from the field. Repped by @MomentousSP.https://t.co/dvfJgHFlZ8 pic.twitter.com/z5Z1iTaN2g
Gainey and his staff still need another option at the four with a more defensive approach to the game. UNLV sophomore Jacob Bannarbie is one of the few frontcourt options left in the transfer portal, having played in the Mountain West over the last two seasons. He averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field during the 2025-26 season.
According to multiple reports, Gainey hosted Bannarbie for a visit on Wednesday. After retaining Paul McNeil and adding high-profile mid-major transfers like Christian Hammond and Kyle Evans already, it's unclear how much is left of NC State's portal budget. Bannarbie might be a more affordable option to fill a much-needed reserve role. It's unknown whether the UNLV forward is being pursued by other programs at this time, so the Pack might be home-free if there is mutual interest between both parties.
Washington center Franck Kepnang
Franck Kepnang is a player who showed up on the radar of NC State a few weeks earlier in transfer portal season, but things never heated up beyond rumor. Things might be getting more desperate for both Kepnang and the Wolfpack at this point, with both the program's need for another frontcourt piece and the center's need for a new home.
The veteran big man was a top recruit in the class of 2020, but has dealt with injuries throughout his entire career, extending his collegiate career by quite a bit. Those injuries are an obvious concern if NC State is truly interested, but a 6-foot-11 center with a history of production as a shot blocker might be too intriguing to pass up on at the right price.
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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.
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