UNC alumnus Coby White once explained why he committed to the Tar Heels despite 'growing up' as a Duke fan
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White played one season of college basketball at UNC. He was a 2019 ACC All-Freshman and was subsequently selected No. 7 overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2019 NBA draft.
Back in February 2019, when the Tar Heels visited their rivals Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, White admitted that he grew up a Duke fan. This revelation was shocking for some Tar Heel fans and media. He also mentioned his favorite UNC-Duke rivalry moment (via 247Sports):
"You know growing up a Duke fan, growing up liking Duke, my favorite moment was when Austin Rivers hit the game winner," White said. "That was a fun one for me because I grew up a Duke fan."
The consensus five-star recruit of the 2018 class played high school basketball for Greenfield School, NC. White was named McDonald's All-American in 2018 and was also recognized as North Carolina's Mr. Basketball.
Although he was a fan of the Blue Devils during his childhood, Duke did not extend an offer to him upon his high school graduation. Instead, it was the other shade of blue team that came knocking on his door.
Coby White received seven offer letters, but chose to play for North Carolina on July 28, 2016:
"You've got to do what was best for you, so I am here now at the school I wanted to come to," White said. "[I am] looking to go in there and get a win."
Coby White's 21-pointer helped UNC defeat Duke in 2019
In the ACC conference's second meeting between North Carolina and Duke in March 2019, Coby White led the Tar Heels to a 79-70 victory over the Blue Devils.
White hit a game-high 21 points, contributing to UNC's win at Dean Smith Center. With that victory, North Carolina finished above Duke in the ACC regular season standings with a 16-2 record.
UNC and Duke clashed again in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament but this time Duke emerged victorious in a nail-biting 73-74 showdown. White made four assists, the most in the game, but it was not enough in the end.
As a freshman, Coby White averaged 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He also surpassed Michael Jordan's North Carolina freshman scoring record with 469 points in a 79-66 win over Boston College. Similarly, White also set UNC's freshmen 3-point record with 82 shots that season.
White followed in Jordan's footsteps by playing in North Carolina and then joining the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
Last season, White averaged 19.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 5.1 apg on 44.7% shooting for the Bulls.