Who is the Steadiest and Most Trustworthy Member of the Wolfpack?

RALEIGH — Any coach would admit there are members of their team whom they rely on heavily to make the right decisions and keep a cool head. That same sentiment applies to NC State head coach Will Wade, who revealed the Wolfpack men's basketball player he trusts above the rest when asked a question about challenging plays in games on the "Wolfpack Weekly" radio show.

After star point guard Quadir Copeland begged for Wade and the staff to challenge an out-of-bounds call near the end of the team's narrow victory over SMU, a curious fan submitted a question to find out who Wade would trust the most if that situation came up again. His answer shouldn't surprise anyone who's watched the team consistently in the 2025-26 season.

'Ven-Allen Wade,' not Lubin

"Ven," Wade answered quickly, referencing senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin. "Not even close. They call him 'Ven-Allen Wade' because I love him so much. That's what the team calls him."

Lubin became one of the centerpiece transfer additions for the Wolfpack after Wade took the job last March. To make the whole thing even sweeter for Wade, who wanted to reignite a program that had become somewhat of an afterthought in the Triangle over the last 20 years, the forward came over from UNC. It's proven to be one of the more shrewd roster decisions Wade and his staff came up with.

The big man's productivity has been outstanding through the Wolfpack's 17-6 start to the season and Lubin took things to another level when conference play got underway. Since the start of the ACC schedule, Lubin is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds across 10 games, shooting 66.3% from the field and 70.5% from the free-throw line.

The last statistic, his free-throw shooting, would be higher if not for a poor performance at the line in the win over the Mustangs. However, the five misses didn't prove fatal for the Wolfpack and Lubin quickly erased any doubts his coach might've had about his ability or work ethic, not that Wade had any to begin with.

"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," Wade began. "Ven is in there shooting free throws. I should have known, the music was a lot better than typical."

Before even getting a real chance to rest and recover, especially after going toe-to-toe with a 7-foot-2 center for SMU in Samet Yiğitoğlu, Lubin was back in his proverbial office, honing his craft. He checks all the boxes Wade wants from a player. That makes him the most trustworthy guy on the roster in the eyes of his coach.

"He's the unsung hero of our team. He's an absolute warrior," Wade said. "He does everything we ask him to do. He's unbelievably prepared. Just a great person, a role model. He's phenomenal. I would 110% trust Ven... If Ven sprints over with a challenge, we're going to win that one."

Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) 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