NC State fired Kevin Keatts one year after making a surprise run to the Final Four and decided to take the plunge and hire head coach Will Wade away from his job at McNeese State. Wade was the best coach available, and even with his baggage, he is worth it. He is expected to bring NC State back to prominence quickly, and he will do it by getting impact players in the transfer portal.
One player who will make a giant impact for the Wolfpack is former Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams III. Williams III doesn’t need much of an introduction. He was the star at Texas Tech and guided them to the Elite Eight before an eventual loss to Florida. Williams III was one of the top players available and is one of the players many will be talking about for the National Player of the Year award this season.
The new NC State forward entered his name into the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. After going through the pre-draft process, Williams decided to return to school and put his NBA future on hold, at least for one more season. It didn’t take long for the star forward to commit to his new school, and he is a perfect fit for a team that is likely going to win a lot of games in year 1 under head coach Will Wade.
Honestly, I would have written the same sentence for any team that Williams committed to. It isn’t hard to see how a player who averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and shot 34% from deep wouldn’t fit anywhere, especially when you watched him play in the NCAA Tournament and dominate for the Red Raiders in their quest for a Final Four.
Coach Wade already had a fantastic transfer portal class, securing the commitments of point guard and defensive specialist Quadir Copeland. Copeland followed coach Wade from McNeese, and Terrence Arceneaux from Houston decided to transfer to a school offering him more playing time. Arceneaux did play in the National Championship game.
Alyn Breed is another player who followed coach Wade to NC State from McNeese. Breed only played two games for the Cowboys last season before getting hurt. Tre Holloman transferred after starting at Michigan State and is one of those program-changing stars who joined coach Wade. Finally, Jerry Deng is a Florida State transfer with a tremendously high ceiling and will thrive under Coach Wade.
The roster was already loaded but lacked a bona fide offensive threat. No one from the current transfer portal was someone I would have a ton of confidence in to get a basket when the game was on the line. That is until now. The wing is one of the most complete players in the country. He can score from anywhere on the floor and gets better when the game is on the line.
Williams will get every opportunity to run the offense, and with his ability to pass and score, the offense will be extremely dangerous for NC State, especially if Coach Wade can develop the players on this roster like he always has. The Wolfpack doesn’t have much shooting, and their ability to shoot the ball is going to hinge on Williams and his ability to stretch the floor.
There is nothing about the signing that isn’t a win. Williams can be a first-team All-American, will be one of the finalists for the National Player of the Year, and should be one of the favorites for the ACC Player of the Year. The Wolfpack were already going to be one of the most improved teams in the country, but when you add in one of the best players in the country in Williams, the sky is the limit now.