Wolfpack Center Targets Are Eligible

NCAA Loses Another One

36 more athletes gained eligibility yesterday, including 3 potential NC State targets, when a Texas court granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to Bella Fontleroy, Malik Gucake, Haakon Naughton, Darrion Williams, Alonzo Dodd, Nate Calmese, Jaqai Murray, Po’Boigh King, Bradyn Hubbard, Bryce Hubbard, AJ Worrell, Hayleigh Breland, Ven-Allen Lubin, Myles Rowser, Brandon Sneh, Tavion Banks, Ethan Potter, Dallin Hall, Jayden Flaker, Sheldon Williams, Brielle Wright, Noah Otshudi, Micah Handlogten, Andrew Akuchie, Derek Carter, Preston Gamster, Ella Flowers, Dashon Gittens, Kylon Harris, Joshua Omojafo, Jacob Crews, Mekhi Mason, Treysen Eaglestaff, Andrew Holifield, Chaze Harris, and Ny’Ceara Pryor, allowing them to play immediately.

What does this mean to the Wolfpack?

Bake sale! It’s likely the only hurdle to overcome at this point is filling the bag. So if you have any spare Franklins laying around …

People that have visited practice have said they believe the back court is meeting, and exceeding, expectations. The front court will determine this team’s ceiling. One more player could make a big (pun intended) difference.

• Ven Lubin – The buzz is that he is Coach Gainey’s primary target, that they have been in regular contact, and that there is mutual interest. We are also hearing that LSU is interested, but Ven is not particularly enthused about it. Now that the eligibility issue is resolved, it’s likely there will be other schools showing interest. HOWEVER, he has posted a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag on himself indicating he will initiate contact with whomever he and his agent choose.
• Micah Handlogten – Another North Carolina player, one who played for Rodney Monroe in Huntersville, is in the mix. The Wolfpack has been in touch with Micah and his team. The word is that he is asking for starter money, probably seven figures. He has only started two games since he broke his leg in 2024, and hasn’t yet gotten his stats back up to that level. But he has been playing on a very good Florida team. There is no doubt he wants a good showing with a team this season that will launch his NBA career.

Other players:

It sounds like the Wolfpack’s interest in adding a second player has cooled. Often the ‘been in contact’ social media posts are initiated by their agents so can have a hint of ‘untruthfulness’ about them. It also might be that this late in the cycle, coming up with enough money to land one of the centers will entirely deplete the resources.

What’s next?

Key dates:

• Aug 17 – Fall classes begin
• Aug 28 – Census Date / Official Enrollment Date – this is the last day a student can enroll, and requires special permission (this was the deadline Musa Sagnia barely made last season)

We should see movement this week – probably quickly, the players are probably as anxious to resolve this and get on campus as the coaching staffs are. Either of these guys would be a massive (pun intended) addition for the Wolfpack. Let’s hope the staff can pull it off.