Shelden Williams will step in front of a packed house at Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday for the first time since he played his final game against North Carolina March 4, 2006.
But instead of donning his No. 23 Duke uniform like he had done for four seasons, Williams will have his number retired, and his jersey will join those of some of the all-time Blue Devil greats.
"It's a tremendous honor," Williams said. "Even with all the accolades, it doesn't compare to putting your name in the rafters."
Williams will be the 12th player in Duke history to receive the exclusive honor, and J.J. Redick will become the 13th when the Blue Devils take on Florida State Feb. 4.
The ceremony will take place at halftime of Duke's 5:30 p.m. game Sunday against the ACC's first place team, Boston College.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Williams with the fifth pick in June's NBA Draft.
Williams' jersey will hang above Coach K Court along with other Duke legends who left a special mark, such as Johnny Dawkins, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Shane Battier.
The last jersey Duke retired was Jason Williams' in 2003.
"If you look at the guys who have their jerseys retired-Laettner, Hill, [Danny] Ferry, Williams. Those guys were national players of the year, NCAA career-record holders," assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "They were different than other players because they were a cut above even the best in the NCAA, and they were exceptional in what they brought to the table as students."
Williams finished his four years at Duke with a B.A. in Sociology and a certificate in Markets and Management Studies. He was known among his peers to be a hard-working student that always stayed on top of his schoolwork.
Williams, though, will be remembered more for what he did on the court. The legacy "The Landlord" left was that of a soft-spoken team leader who dominated down low as a nitty-gritty power forward.
Following his junior and senior seasons, Williams was awarded National Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming only the fifth player to receive that honor in consecutive seasons.
"I was never a very outspoken person," Williams said. "But I had to become accustomed to having the attention on me over my four years at Duke, and each year, I had to become an example for the younger players who were coming in."
Even though Williams finished the 2005-06 season as the leader in rebounds and blocks in the ACC, there were a number of questions at the end of last season whether Williams would have his jersey retired along with Redick-who was almost a lock given he was the 2006 AP National Player of the Year and the all-time leading scorer in the ACC.
But Williams' career on and off the floor during his four years at Duke was enough to convince head coach Mike Krzyzewski and other Duke administrators that he was worthy of the elite honor.
"He was a rock for all the teams he played on, especially his senior season," Wojciechowski said. "He always gave a consistent effort-the kind of guy who brought his hard hat and lunch pail to every practice."
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