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USA Basketball: Williams Has a Midas Touch
7/13/2011 9:06:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Much like the famed King Midas, it seems as if everything Elizabeth Williams touches turns to gold. The MVP of the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, Williams is a two-time USA Basketball gold medalist, also winning gold at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.
The 6-3 center out of Virginia Beach, Va., also helped lead Princess Anne High School to a pair of Virginia Class AAA state titles (2011, 2009), one runner-up finish (2010) and a semifinal berth as a freshman (2008). Capping her high school career with a remarkable 120-6 mark, Williams is heading to Duke in the fall as the No. 2 all-time shot blocker (606) in Virginia girls high school basketball history.
In addition to her basketball prowess, Williams earned a 3.92 GPA while taking advanced and International Baccalaureate classes, and was tabbed All-Beach District in the high jump. She is a two-time Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year and has enough high school accolades – local, state and national – to fill a large trophy case. Not only that, Williams taught herself to juggle and played trombone in her school's band.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Dr. Alex and Margaret Williams, Elizabeth is the middle of three children, with a 22-year-old sister, Victoria, and a 9-year-old brother, Mark. The family is very close and by going to Duke, which is less than a four-hour drive from Virginia Beach, Elizabeth knew her family would still be close enough to support her in the stands.
“My family is really important to me,” she said. “That's one of the reasons I chose Duke, it's pretty close to home. They come with me everywhere, all my games and stuff. They're a big deal, very important to me.”
Elizabeth doesn't come from a basketball family, however, she and her father both played soccer. Thankfully for USA Basketball, Elizabeth opted to pursue a hoops career. She and the 2011 USA U19 World Championship Team are currently preparing for their quest of defending the USA's three consecutive gold medals at the U19 Worlds, which will be held July 21-31 in Puerto Montt, Chile.
Elizabeth sat down with USABasketball.com after the second day of practice to talk about playing for USA Basketball, traveling the world, her Nigerian background and how she learned to juggle.
To read the Q&A just click here to be directed to the USA Basketball site...
The 6-3 center out of Virginia Beach, Va., also helped lead Princess Anne High School to a pair of Virginia Class AAA state titles (2011, 2009), one runner-up finish (2010) and a semifinal berth as a freshman (2008). Capping her high school career with a remarkable 120-6 mark, Williams is heading to Duke in the fall as the No. 2 all-time shot blocker (606) in Virginia girls high school basketball history.
In addition to her basketball prowess, Williams earned a 3.92 GPA while taking advanced and International Baccalaureate classes, and was tabbed All-Beach District in the high jump. She is a two-time Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year and has enough high school accolades – local, state and national – to fill a large trophy case. Not only that, Williams taught herself to juggle and played trombone in her school's band.
Born in England to Nigerian parents, Dr. Alex and Margaret Williams, Elizabeth is the middle of three children, with a 22-year-old sister, Victoria, and a 9-year-old brother, Mark. The family is very close and by going to Duke, which is less than a four-hour drive from Virginia Beach, Elizabeth knew her family would still be close enough to support her in the stands.
“My family is really important to me,” she said. “That's one of the reasons I chose Duke, it's pretty close to home. They come with me everywhere, all my games and stuff. They're a big deal, very important to me.”
Elizabeth doesn't come from a basketball family, however, she and her father both played soccer. Thankfully for USA Basketball, Elizabeth opted to pursue a hoops career. She and the 2011 USA U19 World Championship Team are currently preparing for their quest of defending the USA's three consecutive gold medals at the U19 Worlds, which will be held July 21-31 in Puerto Montt, Chile.
Elizabeth sat down with USABasketball.com after the second day of practice to talk about playing for USA Basketball, traveling the world, her Nigerian background and how she learned to juggle.
To read the Q&A just click here to be directed to the USA Basketball site...
Players Mentioned
C
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