Former Duke point guard Jay Williams--who, as he points out, has his jersey hanging in Cameron Indoor Stadium's rafters--was in town today for a promotion at Alltel Wireless in Durham at 5 p.m. and caught up with The Chronicle this morning. Williams is working in the ESPN studio on Tuesdays and Saturdays with Hubert Davis and Doug Gottlieb, and he has also entered the fitness business with 24 Hour Fitness. Williams called from Cameron, we picked up from our dorm room. Here's an excerpt of our wide-ranging conversation.
Where does Duke fit into the world of college basketball this season?
I think Duke is in the elite. The thing that sets them apart is their ability to defend, and I think that's how they'll make their signature. Even last night, they forced 18 turnovers to a team that should've taken advantage of them down low, but they couldn't. They're forcing 21 turnovers per game, and that's going to be something they have to do again on Saturday against a Georgetown team that plays in a tough, tough league. I don't think Georgetown has seen the pressure that Duke is going to give them.
But it's possible that Duke hasn't seen a frontcourt player like Greg Monroe yet.
100 percent, but in their system, John Thompson III really keeps them around the perimeter. Against Tennessee, that pressure forced them into a lot of turnovers. When they beat UConn, they didn't do a really good job of pressuring them. I think the game plan for when they come into Cameron is Duke's going to try to take DaJuan Summers out of the game and really make it difficult for Monroe to catch the ball.
As a former Duke point guard, how much of a connection do you feel to other point guards and today's point guards? Isn't being a Duke point guard like being a fraternity?
It's always funny. My dad and my grandfather were both Phi Beta Sigma, and every time I go somewhere, people always ask me why I didn't pledge. I always say, I was part of a fraternity: I was part of the Duke basketball team. When I came in, Bobby Hurley mentored me, and Steve Wojciechowski mentored me, and Johnny Dawkins and Chris Collins mentored me. Being here, after I left, I've spent a lot of time with Greg Paulus, because we both came in and started our freshman year. I also know Nolan Smith and have spent time with him over the summer, and it's been great to see him emerge as a starter and the things that he brings to the table. I'm always going to be part of that family, and I think every time I come back home and anytime people talk about it, at the end of the day, this University is my family.
How much have you seen Greg and Nolan mature over the years?
J.J. [Redick] and I were both back this summer and playing with the guys, but the signs I saw this summer that were going to make our team different was two years ago. We played pickup and we were able to punk Greg into a lot of calls. Say Greg fouled me, or he didn't and I called a foul, I would call foul and Greg would get mad and say, ‘That's not a foul.' So I would say, ‘Listen, my jersey's retired in Cameron. It's a foul.' And Greg would give up the ball and say OK. This summer, we were able to play hard and dominate some games, but it was a lot more even playing field. J.J. would say it's a foul, Greg and Nolan would say it's not, and it would turn into a five-minute altercation where they wouldn't give the ball up. It was them maturing and realizing that to be successfully, they have to impose their will.
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