Head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils staff got an unexpected but welcome treat Wednesday night when their phone rang and it was Elliot Williams.
The five-star point guard, who is ranked 16th in the class of 2008 by scout.com, gave his verbal commitment to Duke two days earlier than planned, but according to the 6-foot-4 recruit, Krzyzewski didn't mind the early call.
"He told me how glad he was to have me, and then he told all the assistant coaches," Williams told The Chronicle. "They all seemed so excited."
After losing top recruit Greg Monroe in October, the Blue Devils had a lot to be happy about in landing Williams, who took official visits to Memphis, Tennessee and Virginia in addition to Duke.
The prized guard said his decision to commit to the Blue Devils was based on the relationship he built with Krzyzewski throughout the recruitment process and also on the comfort level he felt when he visited campus in September.
"I spent a lot of time with the players, with the freshmen particularly, with Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Taylor King," Williams said. "Playing in the gym with them, I felt like we had a lot of chemistry."
In the end, though, Williams said that even with all of the current Blue Devils telling him how much they loved Duke, it came down to him and his parents sitting down and making a list of pros and cons for each school and making the choice they felt was most right.
"Getting the chance to play for Duke- it's a great program, great coach, great school, great history, great fans," Williams said. "I really couldn't ask for anything more than that."
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