Quadir Copeland has no plans to change. He talks constantly, lifts teammates, and thrives on being himself — and head coach Will Wade has embraced every bit of it as the Wolfpack gears up for a season with high expectations.
The gym is never quiet when Copeland is around. Whether it’s during a drill, on the sideline, or in a team huddle, he’s talking — cracking jokes, encouraging teammates, or firing off instructions. That energy, he believes, is part of what makes him an effective leader.
“I love talking to my teammates,” Copeland said. “I love it because that just makes them trust me more. I gotta play 35 games with these guys and play the tournament with these guys. But at the end of the day, a coach gotta coach himself. Them allowing me to do that helps me gain more trust from them. Helps me even gain and be able to, for them to look at me as a leader. So, it’s amazing I’m able to be myself.”
He describes himself as loud and goofy, but knows when it’s time to flip the switch. What makes his experience at NC State special is that Wade has fully embraced that personality instead of trying to change it.
“He never judges me for my character,” Copeland said. “I’m loud as hell sometimes. He never says nothing, never judges me. He might give me a shut up here and there, but it’s really rare. He lets me be Q and that’s the best part of everything. I’m comfortable here. I think my whole team is comfortable and everybody lets me be myself. I can smile, I can be the loudest, goofy all the time. But I know when I say it, flip that switch.”
That mix of fun and focus is what Copeland believes will define this year’s Wolfpack team. He wants his teammates to play with confidence, and part of his role is to make sure they do.
“Yeah, I’m definitely a yapper,” Copeland admitted. “I definitely talk, I definitely chat, but it allows me to be me. It allows me to be Q. I don’t feel like I wouldn’t be that leader if I didn’t talk. I’ve got to be able to talk. I’ve got to be talking all the time. I’ve got to be building confidence in players. I’ve got to be checking to make sure everybody’s good. I do it with the coaches too. I make sure they’re good just like they are our players because at the end of the day, they’ve got to come in here and coach us, coach through the routine. Everybody can have a bad day. We’re all human. I just make sure I try to be the light in the room every day. That’s all. No problem.”
Copeland sees himself as a point guard first — someone who sets up teammates as much as he scores.
“100%. I’m a point guard first,” he said. “I feel like I always grew up being a point guard, but I also grew up playing with all my childhood best friends. My best friends, Na’ir, Javon, Jerry, being able to grow up and play with all my best friends that I’m still close with to this day, made me want to pass the ball. It made me want to get my teammates the ball. It made my friends shine and I shine. That was always our thing as a kid. Then once I got older, it just stuck with me. Then I grew. Next thing you know, I’m a 6’6 point guard. It just looks like it makes everything easier. I always had the vision and stuff as a kid, I feel like, and just playing with all my best friends made me want to pass the ball. That’s why I fell in love with passing the ball.”
His unusual size came from a sudden growth spurt in high school.
“I was about 5’10, 5’11 going into high school,” Copeland explained. “Then next thing you know, my tenth-grade year, I ended up hitting 6’3, 6’4. Out of nowhere, I hit 6’6. I just kind of stayed there. It was all high school. It just all added up.”
NC State always felt like the right fit for Copeland. He committed early in the process, confident that Wade and the staff would build a team around him.
“100% better than what I expected,” he said of the roster. “You also see players, but when you get to play with them and play a whole summer with them, it’s way better than what I expected. But I don’t expect less from Coach. I knew the team he was going to bring. I knew the guys he was going to be able to put around me and be able to have me comfortable as a player, too. So it’s that trust factor. That’s why I didn’t think twice about my decision. I answered that call to non-contact. I knew what I wanted to do. I can live with it in my season, and Coach Wade hands. I know he’s the winner at the end of the day. No matter if it don’t work out for me, I’m cool with that. I know I’m going to win this year, and I can live with that.”
The roster additions, especially those with proven NCAA Tournament experience, have raised the bar for Copeland and the team.
“For sure, 100%,” he said. “Because it also gives me… it’s also noted I’m going to be able to be in practice and compete with somebody. I got Tre. We got D5. We got Jerry. TA, all winners. Houston, Michigan State, Texas Tech, all winners. So it’s like being able to be here with people that actually want more than me, it’s amazing. That just raised my level of competition, raised my intentions to want to be around them more. And it’s just, it’s also amazing to hear their stories on how they won. It just makes me want to be there more. Tre made the Elite Eight. Same thing with TA. My man TA was in the freaking Final Four. Like, hearing that, it excites me. I want to be there. All I did was beat Clemson. I want to be there and be in the moment. So being able to have that experience, have that from my guys, it’s always amazing being surrounded by great players. Like, that’s the best part for me.”
Forward Musa Sagnia has also impressed Copeland with his skill and energy.
“Musa’s been able to adapt easy,” he said. “He’s a lockdown defender. Seven-three wingspan. Like, you can’t get better than that with the way he moves and his body. He’s an amazing player. He makes everything easier for us, too. He doesn’t complain. He just plays basketball. And he’s also just so happy to be here. Musa, nobody’s happier than Musa. I’m the happy, smiling light, the goofiest one on the team. But nobody smiles more than Musa. My man always got a smile on his face. So just him doing it from the littlest stuff like that, he’s a great addition to our team. I love how comfortable he is with everything. And everything’s just moving smooth with him so far.”
Even with all the new faces, Copeland still feels connected to NC State’s recent history. His friendship with Jordan Snell, the lone remaining member of the Wolfpack’s Final Four team, keeps him tied to the program’s past.
“All the time,” he said with a laugh. “We always have jokes, of course, because of our bond. Even back then, I was still close with all the players. I still knew DJ Horne. I still see DJ Burns all the time. We talk to each other when he’s around in the city. Me coming here with Snell, and I always see Snell with the little Fro, the little light skin kid with the fro at the end of the bench. Me coming to the same school after that, it was amazing. So, of course, the conversations happen, but they’re locker room conversations, so we got to keep them in the locker room.”
Looking ahead, Copeland is focused on the present and the future, not the past. His goal is simple: win, make memories, and leave a mark on NC State basketball.
“I’m really just looking forward to winning,” he said. “Make some great memories on my team that we’ll never forget. Be able to hang some banners up at NC State. That was the goal to come in here and change. Coach said this is not a rebuilding year. We’re not rebuilding. We have our team. We have a strong team. As you can see, all the players, everybody’s confident. Everybody’s ready to play. I just want to be able to write more chapters in our book. When this is all in, it all makes sense.”
For Quadir Copeland, it’s simple: talk, lead, pass, score — and win. His energy, confidence, and willingness to be himself set the tone for a Wolfpack team that believes it can compete at the highest level. As the season unfolds, Copeland’s voice won’t just fill the gym — it could very well be the spark that drives NC State to the kind of season fans have been waiting for.
