Shelden Williams Interview

Jan. 23, 2003

Freshman basketball player Shelden Williams scored in double figures in his second college game, blocked 10 shots in his first five games, has started nine times and has already posted a pair of double-doubles. But the 6-foot-9 product of Forest Park, Okla., also has endured games where he's watched the action from the bench for extended periods of time due to foul trouble or while teammates have played better.

"He's had some amazing moments for us thus far," says coach Mike Krzyzewski, "and then sometimes he's a young guy. That's what happens in trying to bring a youngster along. The willingness to try to become a really good player is there and the cooperation and teamwork he learned from his family, hopefully we can use it to help us in his development here.

"When he's really going, he can bring a physical presence on the boards, and defensively he can cover some guys who are maybe a little bit older and physically more mature already. He can fight them in there. If he can do those things on a day-to-day basis, we're going to be a much better basketball team."

Williams helped Midwest City HS win the state championship his junior year. His AAU team won a national title. He was the fifth of the six recruits to sign in this year's freshman class, and Krzyzewski says he comes from good stock in parents Bob and Jeannette Williams.

"He comes from a marvelous family," Krzyzewski notes. "They are one of the best families you could ever have, and it shows up in the kind of youngster Shelden is. He's just a really polite kid. He doesn't say that much; we'd actually like him to talk just a little bit more. But a lot of that has to do with the fact that he listens and tries to do what he's supposed to do. He's a real hard worker."

We heard the Williams family made a lasting impression on Krzyzewski and assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski when they made their in-home recruiting visit, and we asked Shelden to tell us about the meal his mom prepared for that occasion.

"Everybody knows, especially around my house and neighborhood and my school, that my mom can cook. During the season, people want to come to my mom's house because they'll get a good meal before the game, instead of going to McDonald's or something like that. My mom will cook a baked chicken or a ham or something and everybody's like, 'What are you having for dinner tonight?' I'm like, 'Come over and see.'

"When Coach and Coach Wojo came down, my mom fixed turkey and ham, yams, butter rolls, macaroni, and it's always like that, but especially on Sundays. I've gotten used to it."

Coming from Oklahoma, we've heard you've had a few issues with the kind of barbeque served here in North Carolina...

"Here, barbeque is baked chicken or something like that. I went to a barbeque place here thinking I was going to get some ribs and stuff, and it was baked chicken and cut-up beef. I'm like, 'This is not barbeque, what is this?' I'd heard so much about North Carolina barbeque, but come on now."

Tell us about growing up in Oklahoma with all those tornadoes around.

"Oklahoma is right in the center of Tornado Alley. During late spring and early summer is when they really start to hit. I've never been hit by a tornado but I've been very close to one and obviously I've known some families that have been hit. My city got hit by one and the next morning you'd look around and see everything all messed up, little pieces of wood stuck in the sides of buildings."

After signing with Duke, you said the family atmosphere around the program played a big part in your decision. How did you first pick up on that?

"When I came on my visit it was the first annual Duke (All-Star) Charity Game. I got to meet Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette. We hung out a little after the game. Everybody came back for the game and played and they were all still like family even though some were in the NBA. They still showed love for each other and that played a big part in my decision."

You were a good student in high school and did well during your first semester here. What wasthe academic adjustment like?

"Coming here you have a little nervousness because it is Duke and you have a full schedule. It's not like a regular student where you have class and you can go back to your dorm and study all day. We have to go to class, go to practice, lift weights and all that, then you have study hall and can study in your dorm. It's more about time managing. We figured that out near the end of the fall semester and now second semester we can manage time better."

What was the biggest adjustment for you in coming from high school to college basketball?

"Communicating and running the floor. In high school I might run the floor after a defensive rebound until I got to the three-point line, then we had a set offense. We never had a motion offense (like at Duke). So running, communicating, and then being more physical. I was stronger than everybody else in high school, but when you come to college you face big guys who weigh more than you, who've been in the league longer than you have and they know what to do and how to get around you."

You were the two-time defensive player of the year in your state, but have you found that defense is played a whole different way here? Was it hard to get used to all the talking required on the defensive end?

"Yeah, it was. In high school, guards would let their men go and depend on me to block their shots. You didn't need to talk unless you were talking noise to a rival team. I never talked much on the court, so coming here was a learning experience for me to talk and tell my teammates what's going on when they're guarding somebody up top and on their back side."

And you're a pretty quiet guy, but we've seen some of the emotion come out after a big play, particularly that dunk in the Georgetown game...

"I am a quiet guy, but after a big play like that I guess everything that's bottled inside of me just comes out. I'm a different person from high school to now. In high school I might scream a little bit, but not like now. I guess everything that's bottled inside of me is coming out and letting loose."

After an up-and-down period through the first several games, it looked like something clicked for you when the ACC began at Clemson, and you were able to carry it through with a big game against Georgetown. Did something happen?

"My first few games before Christmas break were okay but not as well as I wanted it to go. Coming back from Christmas break I just tried to practice hard. Some days I might not practice hard, so I need to become more consistent. But I found something that worked for me and I need to keep on building on that."

Then against Wake Forest you got into the early foul trouble and that seemed to take you out of your normal game.

"Picking up three fouls real quick got in my head and I wasn't aggressive. I was thinking if I foul again, I've got four fouls and I'm sitting again. I didn't go out and play hard. It was more like, go out and play hard but don't push them. (I wasn't) as aggressive as I usually am."

Overall, do you feel yourself growing and getting better?

"Yes, I feel myself doing more things that I wasn't doing at the beginning of the year. I feel myself still growing and still learning."

Players Mentioned

Shelden Williams

Duke information