Why Darrion Williams Was Named ACC Preseason Player of the Year
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RALEIGH — NC State forward Darrion Williams was officially named the preseason ACC Player of the Year on Tuesday after voters made their selections at ACC Tipoff last week.
At the same event, Williams walked onto the main stage and was greeted by the wrong profile photo on the screens next to the podium. His coach, Will Wade, brought attention to the incident during his statement, but Williams downplayed it. Clearly, the photo didn't matter to the people voting on the award, just as it didn't matter to Williams. After his player won the award, Wade chimed in with some humor once again, tweeting, "Glad we got the picture right this time. Progress."
After transferring from Texas Tech, Williams arrived in Raleigh with incredibly high expectations coming from the staff and the fan base. Winning the award is a major step in the right direction.
What It Means
No. 1 for a reason 📈@OfficialDW03 is the 25-26 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/Plw5PtZx2A
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) October 14, 2025
Williams made waves at ACC Tipoff when he stated his hatred for rival North Carolina, but he remained humble about his role with the Wolfpack.
"I think coach is using me in a bunch of different ways, like we talked about when I decided to come here. I told him I don't really care how I am being used, just let us rock," the forward said. "We have a lot of good playmakers on the team, so it's not like I need the ball all the time."
In his final season with Texas Tech, Williams proved he could shoulder a much larger offensive load. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He scored over 20 points in three of the Red Raiders' four NCAA Tournament games, including a 28-point explosion against Drake in the second round.
Williams received 23 votes from the panel of ACC voters. His total was just four more votes than the latest Duke standout freshman, Cameron Boozer. The Blue Devil walked away with the Preseason Rookie of the Year title for the conference, dominating the voting for that award. Williams' experience was likely the deciding factor, having already proven his talent to the college basketball world on the biggest stage.
Boozer and Williams were joined on the preseason first team All-ACC by Notre Dame's Markus Burton and a pair of players from Louisville, Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell. The Wolfpack forward was the only member of his team recognized by the media, adding more bulletin board material to his coach's push for respect for the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack will take the court for its first official game Nov. 3 at the Lenovo Center against NC Central.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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