Ven-Allen Lubin details why he chose the Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s basketball program knew that after last season ended, they’d have to address roster holes through the transfer portal.

All-time UNC great Armando Bacot ran out of eligibility, as did starting small forward Cormac Ryan. Harrison Ingram, last year’s starting power forward, declared for the NBA Draft. There was question about RJ Davis moving on, but he decided to return.

Suddenly, for a program that prides itself on post play, there weren’t a ton of experienced post players.

After swinging and missing on several top transfer portal recruits, North Carolina nabbed its first addition in Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, who figures to slot into Ryan’s role. Two months later – in May – the Tar Heels addressed another hole with Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin. If I had to guess, Lubin starts at power forward.

Now, three months later, we finally hear from the newest UNC basketball player to don Carolina blue. See why he chose Chapel Hill as his next hoops destination:

“The past two years of my college experience, I haven’t been able to experience being in the NCAA Tournament,” Lubin told InsideCarolina’s Adam Smith.” And I know that North Carolina has a history of being on that stage. So I know that they’ll take me there to be able to experience it this year firsthand, and go even further than we did last year.”

Lubin, entering his junior season, spent last year at Vanderbilt. He spent freshman year at Notre Dame, where he was teammates with Ryan, which played a factor in him choosing the Tar Heels.

“As soon as I heard UNC was looking at me, I knew I had to hit him (Cormac) up,” Lubin told Smith. “He just said it’s going to be great for you to expose yourself to the biggest stage in your life, really. He said, ‘it’s going to be a great opportunity for you to show who you are, and what you’re capable of. And if you want to go to the next level, that’s the place for you.'”

Lubin started all 26 games he appeared in for the Commodores last year, averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. I can’t wait to see him produce in Carolina Blue.