Former Kinston high basketball star is making college basketball history

Dontrez Styles is believed to be the first former North Carolina player to play for rival NC State

In 2022; former Kinston high basketball star Dontrez Styles (3) began his college basketball career at the University of North Carolina. After spending last year at Georgetown, he is back in the Tar Hell state as a member of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. / James Guillory-Imagn Images

After a brilliant high school basketball career in which he was a two-time all-state selection at Kinston High, Dontrez Styles got the opportunity to do what many blue chip men's basketball recruits want to do in the state of North Carolina – he accepted a scholarship to play at the University of North Carolina.

Now, he is believed to be doing something no other college basketball player has ever done, play for instate rival North Carolina State after leaving UNC.

To be fair, this is not a direct transfer. After playing his first two years with the Tar Hells, Styles played last year in the Big East Conference at the Georgetown University. His heart, however, has always been in his home state.

"This was probably my second option out of high school," Styles told the Fayetteville Observer. "I’ve known (Kevin) Keatts for a long time, so just being here now, it’s great. I’m enjoying the journey so far.”

At Kinston, Styles was a four year starter and a two time Player of the Year in the Eastern Conference. As a junior, in 2019-20, he become a hot commodity for college recruiters when he averaged a double-double with 19.7 points and 11 rebounds per game while leading the Vikings to a 26-4 record. He was injured after a bad fall in the first game of his senior year and missed three weeks, but bounced back to average 30 points and 10.3 rebounds in the final three games of the regular season.

Injuries slowed his progress at North Carolina as well and he was only able to average six minutes per game as a freshman. At the end of his first year, however, the showed his abilities when he made a clutch three-pointer in an overtime win over top-seeded Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Playing time was scarce once again during his sophomore year in Chapel Hill and he decided to hit the transfer portal.

According to his interview with the Fayetteville Journal, he considered joining NC State for his junior year, but wasn't sure he could handle all the scrutiny such a move would generate and instead opted for Georgetown where he got a new lease on his college basketball career.

With the Hoyas, he was in the starting lineup from day one and started all 32 games. He averaged 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while hitting 36.8% of his three-point shots.

“A part of me did, but I also knew I wasn’t very mature at the time, coming straight from Carolina to try and make that jump to go to N.C. State,” Styles told the Journal. 

“I know who I am as a person and I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to handle the fans and stuff that comes with it. Now, I feel like it’s a great time. I’m an older guy now. I feel like I can deal with it and it’s gonna be great.”