MEMPHIS - Elliot Williams' plan was to wait until today to announce his college decision at a press conference.
But the 6-foot-4 St. George's senior guard had his mind made up after practice Wednesday, and the decision was Duke.
"I went home (Wednesday) and I talked it over with my family, and we just decided to go ahead and do it that night," said Williams, who picked the Blue Devils over Tennessee, the University of Memphis and Virginia.
"It's a good decision for me. That's the place where I felt the most comfortable. To me, it's the best situation for me."
Williams, ranked the No. 16 overall prospect in the class of 2008 by Rivals.com and the No. 1 player in the state, said he called Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on Wednesday night to inform him of his decision.
"I called him to let him know that I committed, and he said he got teary-eyed. He told all the assistants, and it was great," Williams said.
"He wants me to play the two (shooting guard) position. Sometimes the one, sometimes the three. I just want to get out there and play."
Williams said his father, Mexwayne, contacted Tennessee, Memphis and Virginia on Wednesday night to alert them of his son's decision.
"All four schools through the recruitment process have been great. It's just Duke, at the time, I felt very comfortable with it," Williams said. "Basketball-wise, academically, it was just a good fit for me."
"All four schools had great things to offer. I just thought at this point in time Duke was the right decision for me."
A slashing, long-armed lefty, Williams averaged 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and two steals per game last season to lead St. George's to a 25-6 record and a Division II state runner-up finish in just the school's second varsity season.
"None of us knew this, but I think he was leaning a little more and a little more toward Duke," St. George's coach Jeff Ruffin said. "For the last couple of nights, they (Williams and his family) were just going over checklists and making sure that was where he really felt comfortable. "I don't think the decision was difficult in saying, 'Yes,' to any of them. I think the decision was difficult in saying, 'No,' to any of them. They're all nationally ranked programs with great coaches and great facilities. But I think the academic fit and the smaller-school fit similar to St. George's - I think that's what made him very, very comfortable."
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Comments » 14
POWER_T writes:
Krzyewski got teary-eyed? What a softie.
Orangefever writes:
it doesnt matter. we have tatum. he's going to develop his shot and be just as good as williams. Im just glad Memphis didnt steal him!
bigbluevol writes:
Lazhil...simmer down buddy. Try to spew a little less ill will. The best part of this article is that his dad is named Mexwayne. AMAZING.
MrBamSeydu writes:
hahaha, totally true bigbluevol. it'd be even better if his mom's name is Maxene or Beef Meximelt.... or maybe his parents are gay and his 2nd dad's name is Waynemex.
hueypilot writes:
So much anger Lazhil. It's not like he's going to New Mexico A & T. Duke is (arguably) the preeminent basketball school in the country with a great academic reputation and one of the top three college coaches in the country. You might want to switch to decaf.
TommyJack writes:
LAZHILDELT: you call be out for getting personal and you call this kid a bastard??? wow
budrhon writes:
It's always been a tough sell in getting the top rated BBallers out of Memphis to come to UT. It use to be a cultural thing. For Elliot choosing Duke was strictly for more exposure on TV. As Pearl said look at Kenlucky getting on CBS 7 or so times and they aren't even ranked higher than UT. Time to move on to another player. Good luck Elliot.
elsinoresam writes:
FIRE COACH PEARL!!! Why we can't win a national championship if he can't recruit! We are on the downhill slide... Oh the shame....get rid of him and get someone else in here quick!!
Colliervol writes:
The answer to that TDTN is yes he is. And no it wasn't just TV. Eliot chose Duke because of their basketball AND academic stature. UT is improving drastically on the academic front but it ain't Duke. Hard to turn them down if they make a run at you. And he is not your typical Memphis ball player. The school Eliot attends is NOT an inner city Memphis school where most of the kids can't pass an 8th grade placement test.
As noted earlier though, the Memphis fans have now decided he was a one star recruit and they didn't need him.
budrhon writes:
CollievoL, Memphis is focusing more on Tyreke Evans, who is ranked higher than Elliot. Did they want Elliot? Sure. But Tyreke probably fits their scheme. As for Elliot, Duke does provide great academic opportunities. And this kid is no Dummy. That's why in the long haul it's T.V. The great education could have come from Harvard or Yale (if he qualified). I'm well aware of the fact he is not from the inner City of Memphis, but he still played in different leagues growing up around the best in Memphis. Thus his game was developed. Your statement on the inner city kids in Memphis is a sad one, but I'm sure eforts are being made to address this. On another note check out Memphis Freshman Derrick Rose this year. He is the Real Deal!
budrhon writes:
Yeah, but we don't see the Ivy league schools in at the big Dance come March Madness. That's the difference. If that were the case then why not go to Vanderbilt instead? As I stated it's more than just academics. Duke is an elite Basketball Program with National attention, even if they are having a down year. These kids today understand that getting to the next level means marketing yourself. The avenue to that is Television. I don't have sour grapes over HIS decision like others. I live in ACC country so I look forward to watching him play regardless. It would have been a tremendous gain for Pearls program. But Tenn is a Basketball program that rarely gets 5* players coming in. They usually develop them - ex Dale Ellis or Chris Lofton. Tenn will be fine as Pearl has a good program that is getting much attention and being ranked 7th speaks volumes of he and his staffs ability to coach and recruit.
Colliervol writes:
Don't pay much attention to Memphis basketball but I'll check out Derrick Rose for this one year. No question he's a great player. Likewise, I'm sure Tyreke Evans fits Memphis' scheme. If he goes there, he'll stay one or two years at most. (I refer to the "one year wonders" as "drive-by players". And I'd say the same thing if UT takes any of them.)
As far as the Memphis City Schools go, the answer to your statement is no they are not addressing it. It is still the same sad mess that it's been for the last 20 years.
budrhon writes:
CollieVol/TouchdownTN: So you guys know I am a UT FAN; but having grown up watching Memphis Basketball we know that West Tn has produced the best Instate players per capita compared to other parts of the State (at least that's how it was when I lived there) I lived in Knoxville during those Days of Devoe with his methodical half court game. Great defensive mind, but when the SEC incorporated the shot clock Devoe's days were numbered. During that time getting better players out of MEM was always difficult. Imagine if UT could have had the players Arkansas had under Nolan Richardson during their Championship run. On another note regarding Rose - his choice in MEM is purely marketing as the Tigers even though playing in a weak conference still get TV exposure.
Suttree6 writes:
Ramar over Derrick Rose? Ramar is talented, but eve at this stage, he's nowhere near as athletic, and he's not a true point guard. Rose has a b-ball IQ off the charts, potentiallya a #1 overall NBA pick. I really do like Ramar, but that's a silly statement.
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