With transfer Darrion Williams going through a rough stretch, NC State coach Will Wade went on a postgame rant Wednesday, saying critics should "shut the hell up."
Williams, one of the top players in the portal following Texas Tech's run to the Elite Eight last season, didn't make a shot in a Dec. 21 win over Ole Miss after missing a game due to a shoulder injury. In the Wolfpack's win over ACC foe Wake Forest on Wednesday, the former All-Big 12 first team selection had eight points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Wade, when asked if he was "concerned" about Williams' recent stretch, defended his player.
"You know, I'm tired about hearing about fricking Darrion," Wade said after the 70-57 victory. "He's f---ing playing well. It's a terrible question. It's a terrible question. Let me be frank with you: He affects winning. And everybody is out there bitching about him.
"He was plus-13 against Ole Miss and didn't hit a shot and everybody is acting like the world is caving in. He didn't shoot it well [Wednesday]. Who had zero turnovers for us today? Darrion Williams. So everybody needs to shut the hell up about him. He's a damn good player and the shots are going to fall. I'm tired of answering questions about him. He's really good. We're thankful to have him. Next question."
Overall, Williams' numbers are comparable to his numbers from a season ago and even better in key categories. He has a higher offensive rating, per KenPom, and he's shooting 41% from beyond the arc, compared with 34% last season.
He was one of the top players in the portal after he withdrew from the NBA draft and subsequently chose NC State. Like his peers in the portal, Williams was offered significant NIL deals before he settled on the Wolfpack.
Wade said Williams is playing through a serious shoulder injury and that other players making the same money would have "shut it down" for multiple games. The coach also said the impact that Williams has had on an NC State squad that is 10-4 -- after the Wolfpack won just 12 games during the entire 2024-25 season -- does not always show up in the box score and that criticism is unfair "noise."
"I'm tired of people picking on the kid, man," Wade said. "I got it. He makes a lot of money for us, but there are about 10 other schools that have paid as much or more than we paid for the kid. The kid is not perfect. I understand that. The kid is not perfect, but he is a damn good player and we are lucky to have him at NC State.
"He picked us over a lot of schools with a lot better situations than we had at the time he picked us. Let's be fricking appreciative. Let's support the kid. Let's help the kid. And he affects us winning games even when he doesn't make shots. He helps us win. Teams are game-planning for him. Yeah, it's an adjustment. Teams didn't game-plan for him as much [at Texas Tech], but he does a lot of winning stuff, and he's taking a lot of unfair heat right now. All right? He does a lot of winning stuff."
