In the eighth article of the second wrap-around, we take a look at USC Upstate’s transfer wing from UTEP, David Tubek.
Without further ado, let’s break down the game of USC Upstate’s new transfer wing, David Tubek.
Player Bio:
Before transferring to USC Upstate, David Tubek played 2 seasons at Seton Hall and then transferred to UTEP last season.
2025-26 (Junior Season, UTEP):
Tubek appeared in 12 games for the Miners, averaging 3.3 PPG, 2 RPG, and 0.3 RPG.
Tubek’s season came to an end on Dec 29th against Louisiana Tech due to injury.
2024-25 (Sophomore Season, Seton Hall):
Tubek appeared in 25 games, including 1 start against DePaul, averaging 2.6 PPG and 1.7 RPG.
2023-24 (Freshman Season, Seton Hall):
Tubek appeared in 16 games, including 1 start against St John’s, averaging 0.8 PPG and 0.8 RPG.
3 Star Recruit out of HS with offers from Kansas, Creighton, Texas, Arizona State, Xavier, WVU, and others.
Film Review:
HS Era Film, Film from Ballers Bridge on YouTube
Ball Hawk:
One of the biggest abilities that Tubek has brought to the floor in his time at the Division 1 is the ability to create steals. That has also, coincidentally, been a trait among many of Marty Richter’s transfer portal and HS commits at Upstate. During the 24/25 season at Seton Hall, David Tubek had a 2.7% Steal Percentage, ranking him in the 91st percentile of all forwards. What makes Tubek so great is his ability to get steals and keep his foul count low. In that same 2024-25 season, Tubek had a 0.65x Steal/PF ratio, ranking him in the 97th percentile of all forwards.
This higher-steal-rate forward has been a major piece in Upstate’s roster construction. In Coach Richter’s first season, he had two players who were elite high-steal-rate forwards: Mister Dean and Isaiah Skinner. Mister Dean would end up finishing with an insane 5.1% Steal Percentage, placing him in the 99th percentile; Skinner had a 3.1% Steal Percentage, placing him in the 85th percentile. In the most recent season, Skinner returned and saw a slight dip to a 2.8% Steal Percentage, placing him in the 79th percentile. Upstate also added Learic Davis with the departure of Mister Dean. Davis had a 3.1% Steal Percentage in 24-25 at Milwaukee and had a 1.7% Steal Percentage in the 60th percentile at Upstate.
Once again, Upstate returns one of their ball hawks for the season, with Learic Davis returning to Upstate. Tubek was also joined by another really decent ball-hawking forward in Miles Webb, who most recently had a 1.5% Steal Percentage at Delaware State while also having an 1.2% On/Off Steal Percentage change, placing him in the 75th percentile. The ability for Upstate to have 3 forwards who can disrupt and create havoc and not make wholesale changes will be a very important strength for Upstate.
2nd Chance Scorer:
The main facet of Tubek’s offensive game is something many coaches like to have. Someone who can capitalize on others’ mistakes; he does that with the opponents’ mistakes by creating steals. Tubek also does it for his own teammates by grabbing offensive rebounds. During his 2024-25 season at Seton Hall, Tubek had an Offensive Rebound Percentage of 11.8%, placing him in the 85th percentile. That 11.8% ORB Percentage allowed him to rank in the 97th percentile of “Rebound and Scramble” plays, which includes any play with a shot off a rebound, but he lacked efficiency, only having 0.65 Points Per Possession. That would change when Tubek went to UTEP, where he averaged 1.86 Points Per Possession, ranking in the 99th percentile, and ranked in the 74th percentile in frequency.
Tubek will also fill a need for USC Upstate for someone who can rebound, especially offensively. Last season, USC Upstate finished 8th out of 9 Big South schools in Offensive Rebound Percentage. Upstate is already lacking in offensive rebounding, coupled with losing their two best offensive rebounders to graduation and the portal. Those two players are Jafeth Martinez and Breylin Garcia, both of whom finished in the Top 70th percentile in D1 basketball for % of Points Coming off 2nd-Chance Attempts. Both players, much like Tubek during his time at Seton Hall, had an Offensive Rebound Percentage in the 85th percentile or higher.
Lack of Experience:
The biggest knock on David Tubek has to simply be his lack of Division 1 experience. So far in 3 seasons at the Division 1 level, David Tubek has played 53 games for 448 minutes. 448 minutes would average out to about 14 MPG in a 32-game season. The most minutes played by Tubek in a single game was 24 minutes, and only 19 total games with 10 or more minutes. That experience, coupled with last season being cut short at least partially due to a calf strain in December, could provide a hurdle to Tubek’s success at Upstate.
Though if you point out the inexperience, it would be wrong to overlook the reason why Tubek can be a massive impact, and that’s his talent. David Tubek entered Division 1 with offers from the likes of Kansas, Texas, and others and committed to Seton Hall. Tubek was not just some player who limped his way onto a Division 1 roster; the talent has been there, and he has shown flashes in college. In two of the games in which Tubek played 20+ minutes, he had 7 points and 8 points and 6 rebounds. If Tubek can get more chances to play, the chances are his ability will show.
Final Thoughts:
This is a flawless addition by Marty Richter in my opinion. It reminds me a lot of what High Point did with Cam’ron Fletcher last season; both are players in need of an opportunity to play consistently and showcase their talents. While I believe Tubek isn’t to the level of Cam’ron Fletcher, Tubek is still a very talented player for the Big South. I think Tubek, as a player, is comparable to almost every forward Marty Richter has brought in, but I believe the closest comp would be Isaiah Skinner. I would add that I believe Tubek is a better offensive player compared to Skinner.
For what to expect from Tubek this season, I think he will be a very solid role player for Upstate. This season, Upstate has 4 very similar forwards to cover the 2-4 positions, and Tubek will be among them. Tubek’s overall success will come from his ability to see the court, which I believe he has the talent to do well this season. In the end, I don’t think Tubek wins any season awards, but I do expect his best season to date by far.