For fans and players from both sides of the court, the rivalry between NC State and North Carolina has always been present. Just miles separate the two institutions in one of the best college basketball states in the country. However, for one specific player who transferred into NC State this season, the disdain for the Tar Heels runs personally deep.
Darrion Williams will enter his first year at NC State but he’s getting a taste of the rivalry early. That’s thanks to some comments he made this week at the annual ACC Tip-off event in Charlotte.
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According to Cory Smith from Pack Pride, Williams had this to say about UNC.
The fans are crazy. We hate UNC, which I don’t have a problem with — I hate UNC, as well.
For Williams, though, the hate for the Wolfpack’s rival runs deeper than a team they play every year in the conference. He went on to share his thoughts on UNC’s head coach through the experience of former teammate Kerwin Walton at Texas Tech and now current teammate Ven-Allen Lubin at NC State, having both played for Davis.
I think their coach did Ven wrong. And then he did Kerwin Walton wrong — my old teammate at Texas Tech — when he was there. So yeah, I just don’t like the guy.
Walton transferred to Texas Tech after two mediocre seasons at North Carolina. He averaged just 5.8 points per game over those two seasons with 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The productivity didn’t pick up with the transfer as he averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in his best of three seasons with the Red Raiders.
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Ven-Allen Lubin has been the definition of a journeyman in college basketball. He spent time with Vanderbilt and Notre Dame prior to transferring to North Carolina and then to NC State. His season at Vanderbilt was his best, when he averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. His time at UNC was a roller coaster, though he started over half the games last season for Davis. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Ultimately, Lubin transferred because Davis brought in former Arizona big man Henri Veesaar and freshman sensation Caleb Wilson, who would lock down the starting four and five spots on the roster.
Whether Williams hate for Hubert Davis is warranted or not, it is going to heat up the rivalry and bring an exciting showcase as the Wolfpack host the Tar Heels on December 17th or 18th flex game at the Lenovo Center.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC, Hubert Davis called out by NC State’s Darrion Williams
