
Usually you think of the rivalry that UNC has with Duke, and automatically jump to the decades of history there, but there’s another program in the area that’s fed up being ignored.
Darrion Williams, a Texas Tech transfer, is quickly embracing the Wolfpack culture. At ACC Tip Off, he had a few select words for UNC head coach, Hubert Davis.
“I just don't like the guy.”
Davis has hardly been the type of coach to ruffle feathers, so by hearing Williams say that may leave some folks confused, but he has his reasons.
"I think their coach did Ven [Allen Lubin – now with NC State] wrong," Williams explained, "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."
Factor in that he plays for an in-state rival, so there’s no surprise why there’s some sort of chip on his shoulder.
"We hate UNC, which I don't have a problem with -- I hate UNC, as well.”
Williams wasn’t the only one to send shots toward Davis either.
He had mentioned Lubin before. In four years playing college ball, he is on his fourth program, starting at Notre Dame, then went to Vanderbilt, before going to UNC in his junior season.
In his lone season in Chapel Hill, Lubin started in 20 games, averaging 20 minutes per game, 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, all while shooting 68% from the field.
Now he finds himself in NC State and coach Will Wade was blown away that he didn’t get a fairer shot wearing Carolina blue.
"Ven-Allen Lubin. I don't know where we got him from, we found him on the side of the road," Wade said. "Ven is somebody, the other school was too dumb to play him. When he plays 28 plus minutes, he's done that in 23 games, he averages 15 and eight. I don't know why the hell they didn't play him but, we're gonna play him so, he's gonna average 15 and eight. We're excited about Ven."
Shots fired from all around.
The Wolfpack are going to have to wait though to see their bitter rivals. They don’t play each other until February 17 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.