Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
/
Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Williams Taking the ACC By Storm
2/21/2012 10:36:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Steve Barnes, GoDuke the Magazine
DURHAM, N.C.-- Elizabeth Williams might not know it, but the hardest part of her freshman year is already behind her. She's lived up to the hype. Coming out of Princess Ann High School in Virginia Beach, Va., where she wore No. 1 on her uniform, the 6-foot-3 Williams was the top player in the country according to two recruiting services, a two-time first team Parade All-America, the player of the year in Virginia twice and owner of two state titles. She also set a McDonald's All-America game record with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
Perhaps most impressively, she led USA Basketball's U-16, U-17 AND U-19 teams to gold medals three straight summers, losing just one game in the process.
Heady stuff for a youngster who won't turn 19 until June. But Williams, who still wears No. 1, hasn't missed a beat in her first collegiate season. She immediately became a home crowd favorite, posting 18 points and 13 rebounds in her Cameron Indoor Stadium debut against Auburn. Three games later, she grabbed a freshman record 17 rebounds in a win over nationally ranked Purdue. Two games after that, she made all 10 of her shots against USC-Upstate.
And that was just the warmup.
The Blue Devils went to Wake Forest in early January expecting to win. After all, they had beaten the Demon Deacons 35 straight times and hadn't lost in Winston-Salem since 1991. They were not expecting Williams' performance.
Less than six minutes in, Williams blocked her first shot. A minute later, she swatted a Sandra Garcia layup. Garcia grabbed the ball and went up again with the same result. A few minutes later, Williams blocked another layup try. Garcia got the offensive rebound and Williams rejected her attempt. Williams totaled nine blocks and 10 rebounds by halftime, with only four points, as Duke led 34-27. She became more offensive-minded in the second half and finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and an ACC record 12 blocked shots as the Blue Devils prevailed 76-58.
It was the first time in league history that a freshman produced a triple-double and only the second one that included blocked shots.
“I was just playing the game, trying to help us win,” said Williams, who flashed a huge smile upon being informed of her numbers after the game. “We needed me to rebound and keep them away from the basket in the first half. The middle opened for me in the second half to get more shots. I never know what my stats are, but that (a triple-double) is pretty cool.”
It was her 13th game as a Blue Devil.
Williams was born near London, England, while her father Alex was in medical school. The family moved to Connecticut when she was three while her father was a resident at UConn. Next stop was Charlottesville, Va., for his fellowship at Virginia, followed by a short trip to their current home in Virginia Beach, where her dad is a gastroenterologist and mom Margaret is a nurse.
A calm, even-keeled approach is an asset in the medical field and Williams carries it over to the basketball court.
“My parents have always been fairly laid back, but they are focused when they are working and I guess it rubbed off on me,” said Williams. “They've always told me to stay humble and keep working hard. It's paid off so far.”
Williams played soccer until she decided to focus on basketball late in elementary school. Her parents hired Nadine Diamond, who played for Hall of Fame coach Vivian Stringer at Iowa and as a pro overseas. Diamond schooled the lanky pre-teen on the basics of basketball footwork, boxing out, rebounding and blocking shots.
“There's a certain technique to it,” said Williams, who pushed her blocked shot total to an ACC freshman record of 98 when she rejected three Maryland on Sunday. “You have to separate your body from your opponents so you don't foul and your timing has to be right.”
Williams threw down her first dunk at age 13 and Diamond told her bigger things were ahead.
“She said that some day Pat Summitt would be in a gym just to watch me,” said Williams. “She was right.”
With all the heavyweight programs in college basketball hot on her trail, the pragmatic teenager made a chart with the pros and cons of every school. With Tennessee and Duke the only ones left, emotion crept in.
“Academics are very important,” said Williams. “I love school, I love to learn and I want to be in the medical field. Duke felt like the best fit when I visited. It was hard to tell Coach Summitt that I wouldn't be coming, but I made the right choice.”
Her accomplishments scream for a nickname, but her steady, quiet demeanor suggests otherwise. The Cure (for her medical background), The E-raser (for her ability to block shots) and Easy E (for her laid back approach) come to mind quickly.
“I'm just me,” she says with a laugh. “Most of the time it's just E.”
While Williams prefers to let her play do the talking, others are more loquacious.
Duke senior women's administrator Jacki Silar has seen a few freshmen in her 33 years at Duke. She says Williams stands out.
“If you drew a chart of a typical freshman's season on and off the court, it would look like a series of mountain peaks with valleys,” said Silar. “Elizabeth's is a straight, even line. She has the 'it' factor that most freshmen don't have.”
“She doesn't get caught up in the hype,” said coach Joanne McCallie. “I can yell at her or talk quietly. She just takes it all in and keeps on truckin'. Big games challenge her. I think her 'just go' mentality drips down to the rest of the team.”
Talk has already started about her place in Duke history — at the top.
“I'm humbled by that and it's an honor to be considered so early in my career here,” said Williams. “I just want to win. I want to be part of the first national championship team here at Duke.”
If that happens, No. 1 will hang from the Cameron rafters.
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's BasketballKara Lawson | 13 Gold Medals. One Standard.
Tuesday, March 31
Kara Lawson Talks Leading USA Basketball Women's National Team | NBA Today
Tuesday, March 31
The Impact They Didn’t See Coming | Handle Hard Better
Tuesday, March 31
Chelsea Gray Back Home at Duke | USA Basketball Training Camp
Tuesday, March 31
