Former Vanderbilt forward Ven-Allen Lubin will transfer to North Carolina.
The 6-foot-8 forward from Orlando gave his verbal pledge to the Tar Heels on Thursday, a little more than a week after he took an official visit to Chapel Hill. A sophomore, Lubin becomes the second transfer pickup for coach Hubert Davis this offseason, joining Cade Tyson (Belmont). He provides some versatility and experience to a frontcourt looking to replace Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram.
Lubin had a career year this past winter, entering the starting lineup for Vanderbilt full-time (26 starts) after transferring from Notre Dame. As a freshman for the Irish, Lubin averaged 6.2 points in 18 minutes a game. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1 block in 28 minutes a game.
Last season, Lubin shot 50% from the field on 9 attempts a game. He also boosted both his 3-point percentages and his free throw percentages. He made 1 of his 11 3s at Notre Dame and 21 of 31 free throws. At Vandy, Lubin connected on 13 of his 39 triples (33%) and made 71-of-97 from the foul line (73%).
https://twitter.com/LubinVen/status/1793647737293951228
Lubin almost exclusively manned the 5 spot for the Commodores last season. And he closed the year out with some strong performances. He had a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double against Arkansas on Feb. 27. He had 25 points and 11 boards against Florida in Vandy’s final regular-season contest. In the SEC Tournament, he put up a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in a loss to Arkansas.
The 2024 class for Carolina features 5-star guard Ian Jackson and wing Drake Powell. Top-100 center James Brown has also already signed with the program. Jae’Lyn Withers (4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds) and Jalen Washington (3.9 points, 2.6 rebounds) return from last year’s group, so Davis has some options with his lineup.
Tyson might end up spending a good deal of time at the 4 for Carolina. Davis could alternatively choose to play a little bigger and have Lubin at the 4 with another big on the floor next to him. If Lubin takes another step as an outside shooter, things open up for Davis in terms of his flexibility.
Carolina went 29-8 last season, winning the regular-season ACC title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels lost to Alabama in the Sweet 16, though, bringing a somewhat disappointing end to the illustrious career of Bacot.
Replacing everything Bacot brought to the table won’t be easy. But Davis had done solid work this offseason to bolster the frontcourt depth in the face of his departure. RJ Davis is back to lead the group after an All-American season, so Carolina will be an early favorite either way.
FanDuel gives the Heels the fifth-shortest odds of any team to win the title next season at +1800. Only Kansas, UConn, Duke, and Alabama have better odds.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
