Wolfpack Forward Quietly Reaches Career Milestone
North Carolina State came up with a huge home win over No. 16 North Carolina earlier this week to boost its postseason resume and inject some life back into the program after a couple of lackluster performances. It immediately boosted the team's confidence and the mood of the fans, but one key milestone went overlooked in the win.
Senior forward Darrion Williams scored his 1,500th career point during the rivalry game, and with all the excitement around everything else, the Wolfpack didn't even announce it until days later. But it's a significant milestone for a player who has faced plenty of ups and downs during his only season in Raleigh.
1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 19, 2026
Another milestone for @OfficialDW03! pic.twitter.com/A55o1qvUKY
Williams Fights Off Injury to Reach Milestone
Williams scored 13 points on six-of-10 shooting in the win, limited to 16 minutes due to a graphic and bloody injury in the first half. Despite that, he returned to play one of his best games in recent weeks, becoming the 14th player to reach the milestone while playing for the Wolfpack.
"We all saw him bleeding and on the ground," freshman Matt Able said postgame. "I mean, that was pretty bad, and for him to come back out a couple of minutes later, and not only be there but play as hard as he was before he left and do everything we know he can do [was impressive]. Especially for me, seeing him go through that. If I get hit, it makes you not even feel it because you look at D-Will, and he's got stitches on his eyes, and he's still out here playing."
Williams' Journey
The two-time transfer has done most of his scoring for other programs, and his time at NC State has been met with some friction due to high expectations stemming from his play at Nevada and Texas Tech.
A former four-star recruit, Williams earned Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year before transferring to Texas Tech and becoming an All-Big 12 Player. With the Red Raiders, he averaged double digits in scoring, including a team-best 15.1 points per game last season, and became a do-it-all player with respectable and impressive numbers in rebounds, assists, and steals as well.
His numbers have actually been pretty similar this year, but fans have grown weary of the time he hasn't shown up in big games, particularly after a nonconference game against Ole Miss in which he missed all eight of his shots and finished with just one point. He's also been a non-factor in games against Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitt, and others.
Even though Williams wasn't the leading scorer on Tuesday, the hope is that the latest performance will lead to more consistency and a run from the senior leader. And what better way to start than reaching a significant milestone?
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Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.