Wolfpack's Late Addition Starting to Find Role After UAB Win
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RALEIGH — NC State secured its second win of the season, dominating UAB in the second half en route to a 94-70 victory. The two blowouts have presented head coach Will Wade with ample opportunity to play as many as 12 players and tinker with rotations.
Musa Sagnia, a native of the Gambia who arrived in Raleigh not long before the season began, has been a major beneficiary of those opportunities.
Sagnia appears to be a consistent member of the rotation after the first two games and played more against the Blazers after he dealt with foul trouble in the season opener against NC Central. While young and raw, Sagnia brought professional experience to the Wolfpack and could be a major piece as the Wolfpack looks to break into the top of the ACC.
Sagnia's Impact
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
Every time you see Sagnia both on and off the court, he has a smile on his face. His teammates laugh at it, but they also know how important he could be, given the talent he has.
“He’s always happy, always smiling. It’s never a bad day for Musa, but we need that person on our team because everybody has moments, everybody’s going through stuff — Musa lights your day up every time," guard Quadir Copeland said.
Even with his grin on, Sagnia can take the court and dominate inside. Against the Blazers, he checked in and provided the struggling Wolfpack with some much-needed energy on the defensive end as starting forward Ven-Allen Lubin dealt with foul trouble.
The freshman hauled in seven rebounds and scored four points in the Wolfpack's win, maintaining his status as the team's leading rebounder. As for how he's able to do it, Michigan State transfer guard Tre Holloman thinks he's figured it out.
"Man, Musa... His motor is just high and he's just grateful to be here. Grateful to be a part of our team," a grinning Holloman said. "He does all of the little things right, so we just trust him and we love him. Seeing Musa grow is amazing."
Making sure Sagnia made it in time for the season was an adventurous task, according to Wade, but now that he's a part of the program, the first-year coach couldn't be happier. He detailed the saga back in September, which included jumping through all sorts of hoops with the visa process and ensuring Sagnia was academically eligible. The staff made it happen.
"It's been awesome. You could tell he never has a bad day. He's always excited and I was really proud of him," Wade said after the UAB win. "It's a massive amount of change."
Adjusting to the College Game
Sagnia played professionally in Spain and actually held workouts for NBA teams during the pre draft process before deciding American collegiate basketball might be a better option. After most recently playing for BAXI Manresa of the Liga ACB, Sagnia became accustomed to the European style of basketball. Wade is using the early part of the season to fix that.
"He was in Spain two months ago, two and a half months ago and this is a different game. He picked up all those fouls. FIBA is a lot more physical than our game," Wade said. "It's a big time adjustment for him and I think every game he's going to continue to get better."
🇬🇲 Musa Sagnia is rumored to have interest from NC State. The 6’7, 22-year old Gambian wing plays for Baxi Manresa in the ACB
— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) May 7, 2025
Could be another interesting addition to CBB team as a ready to play pro, who was solid within his minutes in one of the toughest leagues in Europe pic.twitter.com/dOrJ7unSVR
The progress already showed in his second official game and third in a full uniform for the Wolfpack.
"He was great tonight, did a great job, protecting the rim for us, did a great job rebounding it, kept a lot of balls alive, and so really, really proud of him," Wade said. "He's just going to keep improving and keep getting better. I'm really, really excited about his growth and where he's going to be."
Sagnia has clearly won over the locker room and has the support of his head coach. While size was a concern for the roster entering the season, the Gambian big man's rapid development could be significant for the Wolfpack in its quest for ACC glory.
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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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