Paolo Banchero admits he liked North Carolina growing up

Today, Paolo Banchero is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA. That’s just three seasons removed from his phenomenal career with the Duke Blue Devils.

Despite going down as one of the best Blue Devils in recent memory, Banchero admitted on The Pivot that he didn’t grow up a Duke fan. Instead, he actually grew up rooting for their rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

“I ain’t gonna lie,” Paolo Banchero said. “Growing up, I actually liked the Tar Heels a little bit. I can’t lie because my rotary team, my high school, and AAU team is Carolina blue colors. So, that was my colors I wore playing so we always liked Carolina, and my mom. She also had a player that she coached in high school go on to play at North Carolina.”

As time went on, Banchero became a phenomenal prospect. He was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2021 and was the second-ranked recruit in that cycle. A native of Seattle, Washington, he was heavily recruited by schools from around the country. That did include North Carolina, but he chose to go to Duke for the final year of Mike Krzyzewski‘s coaching career.

He’d reveal after his college career that he actually didn’t even enjoy his recruiting trip to Duke. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed his perspective, especially when coupled with how much effort Coach K put into recruiting him.

“So, there were some ties there to North Carolina,” Banchero said. “But I ended up being a Blue Devil. I’m proud to be a Blue Devil.”

In his one season at Duke, Paolo Banchero quickly became a star. In 39 games, he started all 39 while averaging 33 minutes per game. He’d averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for that season. On the defensive end, he’d average 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Unsurprisingly, it was a season covered in honors for Banchero. A Consensus All-American, he’d be on the ACC Rookie Team, and was an All-ACC Tournament performer.

Banchero would compete directly against North Carolina three different times in his one college season. The first came in Chapel Hill and would be the only time the Blue Devils beat the Tar Heels that season. The next two times would both be North Carolina wins, including in Coach K’s final home game and the Final Four.

Ultimately, things have worked out for Paolo Banchero going to Duke. He’d become the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and has since become an All-Star and one of the young faces of the league.