Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Report: Kevin Durant could have been a North Carolina Tar Heel

Screen Shot 2012-03-26 at 11.20.28 AM

What would have happened if Kevin Durant had gone to North Carolina?

A new piece from the New York Post says it could have happened, but coach Roy Williams went in a different direction.

According to writer Bill Feinberg, as told to Peter Vecsey in the piece, Durant had chosen North Carolina, but Williams decided to give his last scholarship to Brandan Wright, the 6-9 power forward from Tennessee.

Wright went on to be the No. 8 pick in the 2007 draft and is now with the Dallas Mavericks.

Who are some other notable names on that North Carolina roster? Six players in total were drafted into the NBA, including Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Wayne Ellington, along with Danny Green, Reyshawn Terry, and the above-mentioned Wright.

In one season at Texas, Durant averaged almost 26 points and 11 rebounds per game, becoming the only freshman ever to win the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Since then, Durant has blossomed into a star in the NBA, 28 points and eight rebounds per game this season, while remaining one of the most youthful and approachable personalities in the league.

What’s my favorite Kevin Durant performance? It didn’t take place in an NBA arena.

Over the summer at Rucker Park in New York City, Durant hit four straight threes and brought the house down.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_