Basketball coach Will Wade excited about his first group of freshmen

By Jacey Zembal

Freshman shooting guard Matt Able wasn’t sure who would be on the NC State roster, but he believed in coach Will Wade’s vision. 

Able officially visited NC State, Alabama, Baylor, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas, before picking the Wolfpack on April 5.

Wade retained November signee Zymicah Wilkins of Arden (N.C.) Christ School, landed wing Jayme Kontuniemi of Helsinki, Finland, and at the 11th hour got forward Musa Sagnia, who has been playing professionally in Spain for several years, in his first class of freshmen players at NC State.

“I was super excited [to watch the players pick NC State] because I didn’t know who we would be signing,” Able said. “I knew Coach Wade would do some great things. Just having Coach Wade and knowing he knew what he was doing. 

“Seeing everyone commit and seeing the pieces fall together, I trusted him from the beginning.”

Able had selected Miami (Fla.) originally, but the Weston (Fla.) Sagemont Prep standout opened his recruitment up after coach Jim Larranaga retired Dec. 26, 2024, followed by the Hurricanes not retaining interim coach Bill Courtney in mid-March.

Wilkins also could have looked around after NCSU coach Kevin Keatts was fired last March, but he was content with sticking with the Wolfpack.

“It’s been good, and it has been a long process to get here,” Wilkins said. “I’ve been working every day. I’m just getting to it every day.”

Sagnia brings an air of mystery after signing Aug. 30 and getting enrolled near the deadline. The native of Gambia played small forward for Baxi Manresa in the Liga ACB league in Spain since 2021. He averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this past year. He has been appreciative of all the little things about being a basketball player at NC State.

Wade joked that the players didn’t know much about Sagnia and were surprised when it became clear he’d be helping the squad this season.

“We can use him and move him around, but he is an elite, elite, elite defender,” Wade said. “[Houston small forward transfer] Terrence Arceneaux is one of the best defenders in the country, and Musa is every bit as good a defender as Terrence is. We feel like it completed our team. We had a little bit of a void there.”

On3 had Able ranked No. 19 overall in the class of 2025, and he was a four-star prospect. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder started this prep career at Parrish (Fla.) Community High his first two years. His recruitment got delayed due to an injury his sophomore year. He made the move to Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep his junior year, and then helped Sagemont Prep to the Florida 1A state title.

Able averaged 20.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.9 assists per game his senior year, and he shot 40 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line.

Wade felt Able was mature beyond his years upon his arrival at NC State, calling him “18 going on 28.” His father, Doug Able, played at Boston College.

“He just grew up in an environment that allowed him to be a little bit further along in the maturation process,” Wade said. “He has that, and he’s got talent. We always say there’s a difference between talent and talented, and he’s talented. He’s got the talent, and then he’s got the ED, the extra dimension, whatever you want to call it, of the background and the family and being able to process things at a quick pace.”

Able used the summer to play at numerous individual camps, where NBA scouts could observe him. He played in Donovan Mitchell‘s Spida Elite Camp and Damian Lillard Formula Zero Elite Camp . He also played in the Allen Iverson Classic all-star game in Hampton, Va. Able was one of 31 players invited for the USA Basketball under-19 team trials in Colorado Springs, Colo, but was one of the 13 players cut when the squad got paired down to 18.

“He’s played against high-level competition in high school,” Wade said. “He went to USA Basketball, which is high-level competition. He went to these camps where he was playing against pros and older college players, and he played very well.

“That’s why there’s a lot of people talking about him. I think that he’s positioned himself well, and we’re excited to see what he does this year.”

Able was able to face both Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers and point guard Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks at the Spida Elite Camp.

“I think I am a talented, capable player,” Able said. “I think we have a great team, and I think we’ll win a lot of games.”

Able played on the Austin Rivers-sponsored Southeast Elite on the adidas circuits and used a hot July 2024 to springboard his recruitment. He played with the Georgia Stars 16Us the summer going into his junior year in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Able had high-major offers from NC State, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, Central Florida, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, St. John’s, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier.

“I’m getting used to college life and hanging out, and going to classes,” Able said. “It’s been great so far. There is a lot of love in Raleigh, and the fans are amazing. The people are coming up while I walk to class and having conversations. It has been great. I love the energy here in Raleigh.”

Wilkins, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, arrived later than expected because he had to take care of some academic credentials at Christ School last June.

Wade believes that has set him back some, but that he is making good progress and is a “long-term stock.” He earned one of the two medallions from last weekend’s Navy Seal retreat for his effort and overcoming some fears.

“We are excited about what he can become,” Wade said. “He is a ways behind right now. He got here a little bit late.

“We are working daily to get him in shape. He’s someone who can help us because he has great feet, moves really well. There are a lot of things we need to polish off. He’ll be a special player for us in time.”

On3 had Wilkins ranked No. 92 overall in the country in the class of 2025, and he picked NC State over Georgetown, and then never wavered during the coaching transition.

Wilkins was offered by the majority of the colleges in the Southeast — NC State, Clemson, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Villanova, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.

Wilkins played his first two years at Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High in Rutherfordton, N.C., and then he won a pair of North Carolina independent school 4A state titles his last two years at Christ School. Wilkins played all three years with Team United in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, and was named Mr. Basketball in North Carolina by the Charlotte Observer as a senior.

Wilkins averaged 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks per game for Christ School, leading the Greenies to a 28-3 record last season.

“I really want to take one step at a time,” Wilkins said. “Just be humble and keep the main thing the main thing. Just keep going and never give up on your dream.”

Wade believes Wilkins is also adjusting to the pure size of Raleigh and NC State’s campus.

“He comes from a small rural community in western North Carolina [near Forest City] and there are more people on this campus than in his town,” Wade said. “This is a big adjustment for him. He’s going through the learning curve of that.”