NC State F Musa Sagnia shows glimpse of game-to-game development in lopsided win over UAB

The Lenovo Center was quiet. The building’s doors weren’t open yet as it was just under an hour away of filling up with those clad in red and white. It was so early that the in-arena DJ hadn’t started playing music, but the sound of a bouncing ball echoed through NC State’s home arena well before the rest of his teammates. 

Wolfpack freshman forward Musa Sagnia, flanked by a student manager, worked by himself ahead of just his second college game. The big man started with high-percentage layups before he moved to the free throw line, while he finished his pregame workout by knocking down corner three after corner three. 

As Sagnia worked out alone, he was calm and loose. It’s no different from what he usually is on the basketball court, his grin tends to become one of the most-noticeable features on the floor each time he checks in. 

Even though his smile tends to be from ear to ear, Sagnia has the ability to flip a switch to attack the glass inside the paint. He put his rebounding prowess on display in NC State’s 94-70 win over UAB on Friday night as he hauled in a season-best 10 boards with 4 points on 2-of-2 shooting in just 20 minutes of action. 

Sagnia, 22, appeared more confident as he hit the court against the Blazers. In his collegiate debut Monday night in the 114-66 win over NC Central, the Gambian forward appeared to be feeling out the NCAA game as he fouled out in just 15 minutes. He’s used to playing a more-physical brand of basketball at the FIBA level from his four years of experience with BAXI Manresa in Liga ACB, Spain’s top professional league, so the Wolfpack helped him adjust to the college officiating.

And he didn’t run into the same issues with just one foul as he became an integral part of the Wolfpack’s frontcourt in his second outing.

The 6-foot-10 reserve big man was thrust into a key role in the first half as starting center Ven-Allen Lubin picked a quick foul in his first 1:42 on the court. The UNC transfer post seemed to play tentatively, which allowed Sagnia to check in for a more-than-five-minute stretch to utilize his aggressiveness in the front court. 

Sagnia was quickly able to assert himself around the rim. It seemed as if he was on a po-go stick, at times, working to battle for nearly every missed shot on both ends of the floor. His energy around the ball was rewarded rather quickly, too, with six of the Wolfpack’s first 16 rebounds as he racked up nine boards in his 13 minutes on the floor in the first half. Sagnia’s ability to corral boards at will was critical as the Wolfpack struggled to shoot in the first half, but still had an 8-point lead at halftime.

The forward’s constant desire to grab rebounds seemed to be infectious on the glass. Senior point guard Tre Holloman, a Michigan State transfer, glowed when asked about Sagnia after his standout showing. 

“Musa, man,” Holloman said with a smile postgame. “His motor is high and then he’s just grateful to be here. He’s grateful to be a part of our team. He does all of the little things right, so we just trust him and we love him. Seeing Musa grow is amazing.”

Sagnia’s first two collegiate games have provided a glimpse at what he can provide NC State inside. He’s a thick, athletic presence on the interior that can defend at a high level — the main trait the Wolfpack was expecting to see early on — as he posted four steals in 15 minutes in his debut earlier in the week, while owning the glass at the same time with 14 total boards through his first 35 minutes on the court in his first two appearances.

As the season progresses, NC State expects Sagnia to continue to blossom. He’s already the Wolfpack’s leading rebounder with 7.0 rebounds through the first two tilts, doing so in just 17.5 minutes a night. Sagnia’s ability to adapt on the fly in a short period of time since he arrived in Raleigh on Aug. 28 is just as impressive from Pack coach Will Wade’s point of view. 

“I think every game he’s going to continue to get better,” Wade said Friday night. “He was great tonight. He did a great job protecting the rim for us, did a great job rebounding it and kept a lot of balls alive. I’m really, really proud of him. He’s just going to keep improving and keep getting better. I’m really excited about his growth and where he’s going to be.”

Sagnia’s appreciation and joy for his opportunity to be playing college basketball is overwhelming as he lives in the United States for the first time in his life. He thanks his coaches and teammates for helping him along fairly often, and even though he spent time in the professional ranks, Sagnia doesn’t seem to take any day for granted.

“He’s always happy, always smiling. It’s never a bad day for Musa, but we need that person on our team because everybody has moments, everybody’s going through stuff — Musa lights your day up every time,” senior guard Quadir Copeland said. “Having him on the team is definitely a plus, of course the stuff he does on the court, but the off the court person he is, he’s always happy, so how could you be mad around Musa?”

It’s hard to not wear a smile when Sagnia walks in the room. NC State’s entire roster does from the jump, and when he hits his groove like he did in the win over UAB with double-digit rebounds, the Wolfpack’s joy as a whole becomes even more palpable.