UNC Secures Ven-Allen Lubin, One of the Top Remaining Big Men in the College Basketball Transfer Portal.
North Carolina secured a significant addition from the transfer portal on Thursday with the commitment of Ven-Allen Lubin from Vanderbilt to the Tar Heels.
Ven-Allen Lubin®️ @LubinVen Glory to the most high🙌🏾 Let’s get it Tar Heel Nation!! @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/3lwLFfI1dP
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello described Lubin as “one of the best big men left on the board,” and 247Sports ranked him as the 17th-best power forward in this year’s transfer portal.
Lubin, who began his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to Vanderbilt after one season, was initially a role player for the Fighting Irish but became a key player for the Commodores. At Vanderbilt, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range.
Lubin’s performance peaked towards the end of the 2023-24 season, scoring in double figures in 11 of his last 13 games and recording four double-doubles. Highlights included a 25-point, 11-rebound game against Florida and a 21-point, 10-rebound effort in the SEC tournament loss to Arkansas.
As Borzello pointed out, North Carolina needed reinforcement in their frontcourt. With Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram departing and missing out on other transfer targets like Oumar Ballo, Clifford Omoruyi, and Jonas Aidoo, the Tar Heels sought additional depth alongside Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington to compete for an ACC title and a deep tournament run.
