The ACC made a photo mistake. It gave NC State men’s basketball more motivation

Will Wade, Ven-Allen Lubin and Darrion Williams walked to the front of the ballroom at the Uptown Charlotte Hilton hotel on Wednesday afternoon, the house lights dimmed. N.C. State branding was projected onto the backdrop and podium, with the accent lighting in matching Wolfpack red. They received the same treatment as every other team in the conference.

Well, not quite.

Wade immediately walked over to the vertical screen on stage left — it projected the headshots and names of the participating individuals — noticing the photo accompanying Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams’ name was incorrect. In fact, it wasn’t even someone from N.C. State’s roster.

Williams, from Sacramento, California, also noticed the error when they walked in the room.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I was like, ‘Why is Malik’s picture up there?’” Williams said, confirming the photo was of Virginia guard Malik Thomas, who spoke in the Cavaliers’ press conference in the session prior.

The moderator apologized on the ACC’s behalf. She called it an oversight and “not personal.” Unfortunately, or fortunately for the Wolfpack, the damage was already done.

“Damn, the ACC can’t even get our best player’s picture right?” Wade said. “You think that would happen to Duke or Carolina? Could you imagine if Duke or Carolina’s First Team All-ACC player, First Team-All American didn’t have their picture right? Got a lot of work to do at N.C. State to work our way up there, because we don’t have a lot of respect. Damn shame.”

Wade later added, “I think the ACC showed us today what they think of us. … I think we got a clear picture today of where we stand in this thing, especially where we stand in our area.”

Darrion Williams’ path to NC State

Williams transferred to N.C. State in May, choosing to play for Wade after one season with Nevada (the other Wolf Pack) and two at Texas Tech.

As a junior, Williams averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season with the Red Raiders. He earned All-Big 12 First Team honors. In the NCAA Tournament, the forward led the Red Raiders with an average of 24 points in the program’s four March Madness games and hit the game-winning layup to send the team to the Elite Eight.

He had a good thing going. But after going through the NBA evaluation process, he felt like there was more out there — more to learn, more ways to grow — so Williams added 20 hours and 1,400 miles to his trip back home. Being at the annual media event made things finally feel real.

“This is what I wanted,” Williams said. “I wanted to play at a Power Five level. I wanted to [give] myself an opportunity to go to the NBA. It is hard, because I want to be with my family all the time, but I know it helps me grow as a person, too. That’s a big reason why I keep moving farther and farther, I think, or being comfortable with moving farther, just learning more about myself as a person.”

Williams, who described the fanbase as “crazy” and bought into the program, looks forward to playing in a sold-out Lenovo Center next month.

“That’s the reason you come, to try and build a program back up,” Williams said. “Obviously, that’s the plan. They didn’t do that well last year. The year before, they made the final four. We’re trying to get back on that track.”

Wade believes Williams will lead Wolfpack

Wade, in his first year as the Wolfpack head coach, is confident in his new forward. Williams was an All-Big 12 Third Team honoree in 2023-24 and the Mountain West Freshman of the Year the season prior. Sports Illustrated listed Williams as the second-best small forward for 2025, behind only BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.

The newcomer is also expected to lead the program into the Top 25, according to ESPN.

Equally important, Wade emphasized Williams’ team-first personality.

“Obviously he’s a talented player and very good player, but it’s rare that you get a good player that everybody wants to play with,” Wade said. “He passes the ball. He moves the ball. He can play a lot of different positions; can do a lot of different things. We’re very, very excited about him.”

With the league’s snafu, the team has extra juice — and it’s not like that was in short supply. Oh, Williams even said he doesn’t want any preseason recognition. If the conference can’t get his photo correct, hopefully the ACC voters give the preseason player of the year award to someone else and he can prove everyone wrong.

Maybe then everyone will start paying attention to N.C. State.

“I believe we have one of the best teams in this conference, and I believe we have one of the best teams in the country,” Wade said. “I think that we will be able to show that throughout the course of the season. By the time we’re done playing, everyone will know who Williams is. We won’t need a picture.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 6:55 PM.