N.C. State freshman guard Matt Able commits to UNC, Michael Malone out of portal
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- Matt Able, an N.C. State freshman guard, has committed to North Carolina.
- Able averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and hit 35.5% of his three-pointers last season.
- Able becomes the third portal pickup for Michael Malone.
Freshman guard Matt Able, who spent last season at N.C. State, has committed to North Carolina, a source confirmed to the N&O Tuesday afternoon. The news was first reported by On3.
Able becomes the third portal pickup for Michael Malone. Utah transfer guard Terrence Brown committed to the Tar Heels earlier Tuesday and Virginia Tech transfer forward Neoklis Avdalas committed last week.
According to a source, Malone and his staff are currently in Los Angeles, where several top UNC targets have been working out — including Able, North Carolina junior forward Henri Veesaar and, to a lesser extent, Wake Forest transfer wing Juke Harris.
“Being a member of N.C. State men’s basketball has been an experience I’ll always be grateful for,” Able said in a statement when he entered the portal earlier this month. “Thank you to my coaches, staff and the program for their guidance and support. My teammates, especially, have meant a lot to me. Wolfpack Nation, I appreciate all the energy and love you’ve shown. Playing in front of you has been an honor and a privilege.”
Able averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season, hitting 35.5% of his 3-pointers. He finished the season scoring double figures in three of the last four games.
In N.C. State’s 82-58 win over North Carolina, he scored a career-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers, during the Wolfpack’s 82-58 win over North Carolina.
Able had a rough end to the season, scoring four points in the 68-66 season-ending loss against Texas in the NCAA Tournament First Four matchup. He went 1-of-3 on field goals and missed clutch free throws down the stretch.
“You don’t really know what to expect coming in as a freshman until you experience it,” Able said after the game. “The one thing I can say is, I have lots of mental strength. There’s gonna be ups and downs. I mean, we had lots of ups and downs. We had great moments. We had not-so-great moments. I feel like being able to stay consistent throughout it all is a big thing.”
N.C. State senior guard Quadir Copeland praised Able’s growth earlier this season, calling the rookie a spark off the bench.
“I think his development has been amazing, but I think it’s all been on him,” Copeland said in February. “We’re hard on him, but he’s grown himself. He understood his own mistakes and fixed them himself. He ain’t really need us doing too much talking to him … Matt is strong-minded.”
Able committed to N.C. State around this time last year, shortly after Will Wade was introduced as the Wolfpack’s head coach.
He was a four-star high school prospect and a four-star transfer, according to 247Sports. Prior to joining the Wolfpack as a freshman, Able made official visits to Texas, Stanford, Baylor, Alabama and Tennessee.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 3:45 PM with the headline "N.C. State freshman guard Matt Able commits to UNC, Michael Malone out of portal."
