This is the fifth article in a six-part series profiling the members of the men's basketball recruiting Class of 2002.
Standing at 6-foot-9, 240 pounds and ranked as one of the top power forwards in high school basketball, Shelden Williams could have decided to go anywhere to college.
Having been `the man' at Midwest City High School, the natural transition for the highly touted prospect would have been to fill a similar role at Oklahoma, where his former coach at Midwest City High, Terry Evans, had recently been named as an assistant coach.
While being known more for their prowess on the gridirion than on the hardwood, Oklahoma takes its basketball seriously, and Williams could have been a tremendous boon for up-and-coming coach Kelvin Sampson, who has shunned offers from ACC schools to build a winner in the Sooner State.
But Williams' goal was not to be the center of attention as he always had been; rather, he wanted to be part of something bigger, and he found this atmosphere at Duke. First, coach Mike Krzyzewski impressed Williams when he visited the prospect's house in early September. And Williams' visit to the Gothic Wonderland for the Duke All-Star Charity Basketball game in late August especially caught his attention.
"When I came to visit, all of the [current and former] players were there," Williams said. "It was like a family-type atmosphere, and everybody showed love for each other. That played a big part in [my decision]."
But that did not mean the decision to come to Duke was a no-brainer. Williams' current coach at Midwest City High, Rodney Dindy, noted that his star player certainly considered the fact that he would be far away from his family, who live in the Oklahoma City suburb, and like any family, have played a huge role in his life. Williams, however, believed that the decision was his alone, and he didn't want anybody interfering in it.
"I had a lot of pressure to go [to Oklahoma], but like I told everybody else, `I'm not going to go there just because people are putting pressure on me. It's my decision, and I'm going to make my decision, no matter if people are pressuring me,'" Williams said. "So I made my decision, and I think it's a great decision."
This choice did not come as a surprise to many recruiting analysts, including Durham-based observer Dave Telep, who had talked to Williams on many occasions and had seen him play at numerous camps.
"Shelden did a good job all along of telling everybody that Duke was his leader," Telep said. "I think probably as far away as two or three months before his decision, he remained steadfast to the fact that Duke was the team to beat. The Terry Evans thing-that was done a year ago. He remained true to his word when he said that that probably wasn't going to influence him a whole lot and in the end, it probably didn't."
In evaluating Williams' game, Telep is most impressed with Williams' rock-solid physique and natural basketball aptitude. The recruiting guru believes that, unlike many players who enter college, Williams has a polish to his game that could allow him to compete at a high level almost immediately.
And his strength, at the power-forward position-the position where Williams wants to play, instead of at center-makes him stand out from his peers.
"The guy looks like Karl Malone," Telep said. "To be able to step out and face up and make people come out and guard him-like Carlos Boozer can-it's very exciting to get a guy like that.
"What he's really done over the course of the past year is expanded his game to where he can face up. He can make perimeter jump shots, he can step out and make some threes and hit medium-range jumpers. It's easy to call him one of the best power forwards in the country," Telep said.
Despite all the hype, Williams has been described as quiet, laid back and business-like in his personal nature.
In fact, Dindy particularly appreciates the fact that his star player gets along well with his teammates and concentrates heavily on his school work, two qualities which will no doubt pay off when he enters the high-stress environment that is Duke University.
Despite the fact that observers and friends describe Williams with such high praise both personally and basketball-wise, nearly everyone agrees-including Williams himself-that there are many areas where he will need to improve his full potential. For one, Dindy, who has been in regular contact with the Duke coaching staff, would like to see Williams assert himself as an even more intimidating presence in the low post.
More specifically, the Bombers' coach believes that Williams needs to demonstrate improvement in his shot-blocking ability so that his opponents will have to think twice about penetrating into the paint when Williams is in the game.
In contrast, Telep believes that Williams would be best served by extending his scoring presence to the perimeter to make him a more multi-faceted point producer.
But Williams' future Duke teammate, Shavlik Randolph, thinks that Williams' game is pretty well-rounded as it is, and the Raleigh native cannot wait to suit up alongside him.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
"Shelden's like the perfect stereotype power forward," Randolph said. "He's strong, tall.... He can shoot from up to the three-point line or step in and play with his face toward the basket or with his back to the basket."