After a long wait, and after many misses, the Tar Heels have finally landed a transfer big man. Ven-Allen Lubin, a transfer from Vanderbilt by way of Notre Dame, has officially committed to Hubert Davis and UNC after visiting Chapel Hill during the second week of May. Lubin, the 6-8 forward, averaged 12.3 points last season at Vanderbilt, and over 6 rebounds, while shooting 50% from the field. He also shot 33% from behind the arc, but that was on less than one attempt per game.
Carolina adds Lubin, after missing on a plethora of targets to add depth to the front court, in the form of Clifford Omoruyi, Jonas Aidoo, Adou Thiero, and others. At 6-8, it’s hard to believe that he’d play the 5 spot, but given his inability to shoot from the perimeter, it’s hard to imagine him playing alongside Jalen Washington for extended minutes. While Lubin may not be the perfect addition or the preferred addition, he does add depth to a frontcourt in desperate need of it. Lubin doesn’t stand in the way of Jalen Washington starting but provides an experienced big behind him, something that Carolina didn’t have before.
For Tar Heels fans, and even Hubert Davis to feel better about how this roster comes together, they still need to add a stretch four, to replace Harrison Ingram, who isn’t withdrawing from the NBA Draft process. Coleman Hawkins, who is in the transfer portal after a stellar career at Illinois, along with going through the NBA Draft process, has been linked to UNC if he were to withdraw from the Draft. If that were to happen, UNC should put on the full-court press to get him in Chapel Hill, because pairing him with RJ Davis, would vault Carolina back into the national title conversation.
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