[32] In August, he was named MVP of the 2017 Adidas Nations camp after averaging 22.5 points and 7.2 rebounds through 6 games. Former NBA player Stephen Jackson recently weighed in on New Orleans Pelicans' star Zion Williamson absence during the playoffs, suggesting that the young player should make more of an effort to get back on the court. [109] After the New Orleans Pelicans won the 2019 NBA draft lottery, Williamson's stepfather Lee Anderson said they were excited about him potentially playing in New Orleans and dismissed rumors that he would return to Duke for a second year, saying, "As far as returning to Duke, that's not something we've even considered. At first, Williamson tried his hand at short stories, but he wasn't entirely satisfied with the results. [20][21] In a 7353 victory over Gray Collegiate Academy at the Chick-fil-A Classic on December 21, he posted a tournament-record 53 points and 16 rebounds, shooting 25-of-28 from the field. "I said, 'Zion you're going to be as good a writer as you are a basketball player if you follow through on this.'". "[3] When Williamson reached two years of age, following the death of his maternal grandmother, his family moved to Florence, South Carolina. This dynamic produced a paradox: The buzziest prospect in years was, in hindsight, underrated. Five comps for Zion Coach Mike Krzyzewski, quick to praise Williamson's passing and ballhandling, says the public was so focused on the young player's high notes that everyone underestimated his range. Williamson broke the state record for most 30-point games in a season, with 27 by the end of the regular season. 2 Duke to 91-61 rout of St. John's", "Williamson Named National Player, ACC Freshman of the Week", "Barrett has triple-double, No. Before retiring last spring, the 79-year-old taught a daily creative writing class, a yearlong elective for kids interested in developing their craft. The two have remained friends. The writing, clear and artful, conveys a level of earnestness that echoes Pell's description of his former student's poetry. Today, he continues, Williamson is not only the most unique athlete he's ever coached, but also possesses a rare emotional intellect. Trade tracker and grades, Pick-by-pick analysis Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are going from being former AAU teammates to likely the top two picks in the 2019 NBA draft. Regardless, most schools only came calling after Murray State found him. At Spartanburg Day, he wanted to create a space for his students to express their feelings through writing. Then he started writing poems. Read It: Adam Figman's cover story on 16-year-old Zion Williamson. [90][91][92] He was held out from his team's final six games in the regular season. Nor is he without athletic gifts. "I don't have it!". Morant thrived in obscurity until just a few weeks ago. | Learn more about Warren Williamson's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile . Williamson was also named ACC Athlete of the Year, becoming the 10th Duke player to win the Award. 'Remember our faces': Zion Williamson and Ja Morant have risen from South Carolina AAU teammates to NBA stars By Michael Lee Feb 14, 2020 13 The South Carolina Hornets had just defeated one. Even high school Zion. [108], On April 15, 2019, Williamson declared his eligibility for the 2019 NBA draft. [131] By mid-October, the timeline for his expected return was extended until December. One of them was 17-year-old Zion Williamson. 3, Memphis signee Williams arrested on gun charges, Why Petitti is the perfect fit for Big Ten commissioner, UConn's Adama Sanogo to declare for NBA Draft, 2023 5-star G AJ Johnson chooses NBL over Texas, Miami is expecting to hear a final word from the NCAA on, If there's one team now prone to have its season boomerang the wrong way, it's. [121] On September 15, Williamson was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Then all he did was write poems and the deeper we got into the year, the more complicated and sophisticated they became. "There are sunshine people and cloudy people," Krzyzewski says. [57], In a live ESPN telecast on January 20, 2018, Williamson committed to Duke. I imagine that lining up against Zion Williamson on a basketball court must be absolutely terrifying. He plays the power forward position. Coming out of high school, the forward wasn't universally regarded as a future NBA star, in part because some saw him as little more than a dunker, the sort of human highlight reel condescendingly referred to as a mixtape player. Zion Williamson High School Pos PF Height 6-6 Weight 275 Evaluation Timeline Prospect Info High School Spartanburg Day School City Spartanburg, SC Class 2018 Watch Highlights Player. Zion's senior team at his high school has won three state championships. he says. Daum (24.2), if he manages to play to his average, will hit the mark in SDSU's first game in the Summit League tournament. [106] He shot 68% from the field, which led the ACC, ranked second in the NCAA Division I, and was the highest ever field goal percentage by a freshman. Fifty? [72] On January 12, against Florida State, he was poked in the left eye by an opposing player towards the second half and missed the remainder of the game. It made things a lot easier for other people," he says with a laugh. Morant and Williamson were part of the South Carolina Hornets AAU team in . Coach Krzyzewski and Zion Williamson had similar experiences during their teenage basketball careers. Zion hit his on the backboard during a Duke game in 2018. . ", "Zion Williamson: Basketball's next dunking prodigy", "Kevin Durant on Zion Williamson: 'He's a once-in-a-generation type athlete', "Zion Williamson to Duke: Three takeaways as hyper-athletic forward joins Blue Devils mens basketball", "Adidas Gauntlet: Feeding frenzy for five-star Langford", "The Insane Growth Of The Man-Child That Is Zion Williamson", "Rival Views: The best Zion Williamson comparison", "Is SC dunking phenom Zion Williamson basketball's next LeBron James? [142] On January 26, 2023, Williamson was selected for his second NBA All-Star appearance. Williamson and Morant, both South Carolina natives, played on the same AAU team the summer before Williamson's freshman year of high school and Morant's sophomore year. Teammates & Opponents More Zion Williamson pages at Sports Reference College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Compare Zion Williamson to other players 2022-23 Pelicans 2022-23 Pelicans (42-40, 9th place in NBA Western Conference) Last Game: L 108-113 at MIN Full Schedule and Results Zylan Cheatham E.J. [5] Williamson later began working with his stepfather, former college basketball player Lee Anderson, to improve his skills as a point guard. And now, Clemons sits at 2,757; Daum has 2,740. Being a star athlete, Zion Williamson is quite a in demand. "[160] NBA point guard John Wall has likened Williamson's in-game dunking ability to that of Vince Carter. [41] On February 17, he posted 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals, while scoring his 3,000th career point, versus Spartanburg Christian Academy at the SCISA Region I-2A tournament. Major achievements NBA All-Star (2021) Career highlights and awards NBA All-Rookie First Team (2020) Consensus National College Player of the Year (2019) Consensus first-team All-American (2019) [80] He had his third 30-point game of the season on February 16, scoring 32 points in a 9478 victory over NC State. [31] Williamson, in a highly publicized AAU game on July 27, scored 28 points and led SC Supreme to a 10492 win over 2019 class recruit LaMelo Ball and Big Ballers at the Adidas Uprising Summer Championships. [40] Williamson tallied 30 points and 13 rebounds in his final home game on February 8, a 5854 win over Greensboro Day School. The Zion Williams net worth updates suggest that the star Zion Williamson had made an $8 million fortune. Soon after, other schools followed -- slowly, because Morant wasn't on social media and didn't use the platform to boost his reputation the way the most players do now. Against Pitt on Tuesday night: 7-for-23 from deep. He recently projected Williamson as the No. [104] Williamson led all scorers on March 31, with 24 points and 14 rebounds in a season-ending 6867 loss to Michigan State in the Elite 8. Believe this: There are assistants nobody knows about who are 5-10 years away from getting their first head coaching job who, one day, maybe 40 years from now, will be Hall of Famers. [126], During the season, Williamson tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for the longest streak of at least 20-point games on 50-percent shooting within his first two seasons since the shot clock era in 195455. While Pell usually let his students spend the period writing, he sometimes shared readings with them at the beginning of the hour so they could learn by example -- works by Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas and Billy Collins. 1 Duke 88-72", "Nike stock market value plunges by $1.1bn after basketball star Zion Williamson's shoe breaks", "Zion Williamson's shoe blowout, knee injury leads to blowback for Nike", "Zion Williamson injury makes clear: The NCAA has turned education into a risk", "NBA players urge Zion Williamson to shut it down after bizarre injury during UNC game", "Zion Williamson's injury underscores the inequities of college sports", "Zion Williamson's Exploding Shoe Is a Reminder That College Basketball Needs Serious Fixing", "How to pay NCAA athletes like Zion Williamson without costing colleges a dime", "Zion Williamson Caps Stunning Return, Leading Duke to A.C.C. Murray State sophomore point guard Ja Morant's rise in the past month is unlike anything mid-major college basketball has seen in a long time. Here's how he might fit in some possible destinations. When he is asked how it feels to play so close to his old high school and how his years there shaped him, he pauses to gather his thoughts. As Zion Williamson prepares to enter the 2019 NBA draft after a historic season at Duke, players and coaches from Spartanburg Day High School recollect Zion's rise to stardom in the small town of . [34] He debuted on November 15, 2017, erupting for 46 points and 15 rebounds in a 7062 loss to Christ School. Furthermore, he was known as South Carolina's Mr. Basketball. [105] Through 33 appearances in his freshman season, he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. [24], Williamson surpassed the 2,000-point barrier on January 20, when he tallied 48 points against Oakbrook Preparatory School. [14], As a junior, Williamson averaged 36.8 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game. [74] He eclipsed the Duke freshman record for single-game points previously held by Marvin Bagley III and JJ Redick. Duke has traditionally ranked among the best power-conference teams -- if not the best teams overall -- from long range. Williamson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. On the court, Williamson was eager to entertain with 360-degree dunks and tomahawk jams. 1 seed. Pell lives on a quiet country road in Spartanburg, in an airy, sun-filled house built in the 1800s. ", "The real story of Ja Morant and Zion Williamson playing on the same AAU team", "Eight area players ready for SCISA North-South All-Star games", "Zion Williamson picks up offer from South Carolina", "Zion Williamson leading NBA Top 100 Camp in scoring", "Zion Williamson Wins the 2016 Elite 24 Dunk Contest", "Slam Dunk: Zion Williamson repeats as Player of the Year", "Jalek Felton, Christian Brown on Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year watch list", "Zion Williamson's newfound fame has grown his social media following substantially", "Zion Williamson Drops 42 & 13 in Season Debut", "Steph Curry Is Impressed By High School Hoops Prospect Zion Williamson And You Should Be, Too", "Five-Star Junior Prospect Zion Williamson Drops 50 Points", "Zion Williamson's Monster 50-Point Performance Steals ToC Show", "Spartanburg Day's Zion Williamson has record night in tourney opener", "Newton tops Spartanburg Day; Zion Williamson named MVP", "Zion Williamson's No. McMahon called Morant a "basketball genius" and told me his ability to see the floor and improvise plays separates him from the other college point guards. During his senior and final high school season, Zion Williamson committed to Duke on January 20, 2018 in a live ESPN telecast. "[158] Williamson, who is left-handed, is almost ambidextrous. Zion Williamson PF #1 Current Team: New Orleans Pelicans Born: Jul 6, 2000 (22 years old) Birthplace/Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina Nationality: United States Height: 6-6 (198cm) Weight: 284 (129kg) @ZionW32 Current NBA Status: Under Contract (New Orleans Pelicans) Free Agent: UFA-2028 Agent: Austin Brown Draft Entry: 2019 NBA Draft But this season? [75] On January 21, Williamson collected his third ACC Freshman of the Week accolades. [145] Subsequently, team officials confirmed in early April that Williamson would miss the remainder of the regular season. He had hops, but he didn't have the hops that he possesses now.". Williamson wrote SLAM's high school diary in 2017-18, went away to play college basketball at Duke, nearly precipitated the . 1 in the 2023-24 men's Way-Too-Early Top 25, NBA draft lottery deep dive: Rankings, Zion odds and intel. The player's annual average salary is $7.3 million. "It was the first time I sat at a basketball game in four years. As a result, critics questioned whether the SportsCenter favorite, a raw shooter, could dominate tougher competition. [134], On July 6, 2022, Williamson signed a 5-year rookie extension with the New Orleans Pelicans worth $193 million guaranteed, increasing to $231 million if he makes an All-NBA team in the 20222023 season. That debunks another bubbling urban legend about Morant: that Murray State was the only program to offer him a scholarship. Which coaches do you think will be Hall of Famers (inducted that is) in the next 20 years? [166] Lateef was a football defensive lineman at Mayo High School in Darlington, South Carolina, who was a High School All-American in 1993 and had committed to NC State before transferring to Livingstone College. "[152][153] Williamson plays the power forward position but is also capable of being a small-ball center. ", "How could Clemson lose 'a mile-and-a-half lead' for Zion Williamson? Has that ever happened? [12] He led the Griffins to their first SCISA Region I-2A title in program history. section: | slug: court-report-the-real-story-of-ja-morant-zion-williamson-playing-on-the-same-aau-team | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | At the time, he competed for the South Carolina Hornets AAU team as well, where he was teammates with Ja Morant. Then, the summer before Williamson entered high school, he grew about 5 inches, sprouting so quickly that his mother, Sharonda, had to ice his knees to soothe his growing pains. Zion was known to be together with his high school girlfriend Tiana White, although some reports have claimed that the pair is no longer together. Zion got in a pregame workout Wednesday and was doing this, and on another play threw down a windmill dunk. Zion Williamson 102Followers School Spartanburg Day (Spartanburg, SC) Class Year Senior 2018 Teams V. Basketball #12 PF, SF, C Timeline Stats Awards Photos News Videos / Zion Williamson Zion Williamson Latest Updates 2023 West NBA All-Star Starters: High School Player Ratings 19598 views | More Videos: Zion Williamson Stephen Curry "He was playing in front of thousands, but if he had to walk out in front of 30 people he didn't like that," he says. My guess on active coaches who will be in the Hall of Fame by the year 2039: John Beilein, Tony Bennett, Mark Few, Bob Huggins, Lon Kruger, Tubby Smith, Jay Wright. Two? After one go-around, Williamson went on to the Adidas circuit while Morant stayed behind with the humble Hornets. In high school, he drew national attention for his slam dunks. "Early on, I said, 'Do you know what you want to do, Zion?' Because he played for a tiny school against other tiny schools (and missed some of the national showcases at which top prospects compete), his early tape occasionally evokes Gulliver stomping among the Lilliputians. "I think by his sophomore year, we knew that it was getting bigger than any of us could imagine. "He called me and said, 'This kid's going to be a pro.'". : Zion Williamson 'probably the best damn tight end to ever live', "Zion Williamson takes over top spot in 247Sports' 2018 basketball player rankings", "Clemson has become the surprise favorite for 5-star basketball recruit Zion Williamson", "Zion Williamson pledge gives Duke top three players in ESPN 100", "Zion Williamson: 'I will be joining the brotherhood of Duke University', "Duke has the top three basketball recruits in the country. Height: 6'7 ft ( 201 cm ) Weight: 284 lb (129 kg) Relationship: single Birth Sign: Cancer Chinese zodiac: Dragon Links: Contents: Childhood First steps Career development Zion Williamson's personal life "), instead telling stories that paint a picture of an active, growing mind. He wasn't 100 percent comfortable -- he was feeling his way into the class." There's a goodness about him that I think people want to celebrate.". [99] The next day, he scored 31 points including the game-winner to help Duke defeat North Carolina, 7473, in the ACC Tournament semifinals. [155], While in high school, Williamson drew national attention for his slam dunks. [124] On February 23, 2021, Williamson was selected into his first NBA All-Star Game. During practice, Zion Williamson took off from the free line for a dunk, threw it down with his right hand and was immediately mobbed by teammates, including his buddy R.J. Barrett, a Canadian . This is Morant deploying legerdemain and pulling one over on the defense. Krzyzewski, who first visited Spartanburg Day when Williamson was a sophomore, says the teen star faced pressure to leave and play for more competitive prep schools. Andrew Halls: Head Master, King's College School, Wimbledon. Morant stayed with the program throughout his high school years . "When one Griffin is doing something special -- out of the ordinary -- we celebrate him," she says as a couple of cheerleaders raise posters with "Go Zion" scribbled on the front in a bubbly font. Reaching 3,000 is such a rarity, yet here we have two guys ready to do it in the same season and within less than two weeks of each other. [4] In 2013, he guided Johnakin to an 81 record and a conference title. Some questioned whether Duke's freshmen could suppress their egos. Without looking, what's your guess on how many Division I men's basketball players have scored 3,000 career points? [135] Williamson made his return from injury on October 4, 2022, putting up 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in a 129125 preseason win over the Chicago Bulls. "There are some things you can shape and do for a child," she says. As Morant's star has risen, along with his position into the top five on NBA mock drafts, he's developed some fables around his time before Murray State. @MSURacers pic.twitter.com/9hUCy0gW4S. He recalls an instance when a college coach visited before a game; Williamson was sitting with his teammates in the stands. "[38] Williamson made his return from the injury on January 11, 2018, scoring 31 points in a 7162 victory over Asheville Christian Academy. Years from now, if the likely No. [5][7][162] Recruiting service 247Sports has praised his ball handling and passing skills for his size, commenting that they are "overshadowed by [his] athletic plays. Title", "Williamson Voted ACC Male Athlete of the Year", "ACC 2019 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team, Postseason Awards", "Duke's Zion Williamson is Sporting News Player, Freshman of the Year", "Zion Williamson Returns in Style, Leading Duke to Victory Over Syracuse", "Duke University Men's Basketball Postgame Notes March 14, 2019 vs. Syracuse (ACC Tournament Quarterfinals)", "Duke remains No. It's not unusual, of course, for an athlete's old teachers and coaches to shower him or her with praise; they know they're being treated as character witnesses in the court of public opinion. [70] Two days later, Williamson earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors for a second time. Name: Zion Williamson Who is: athlete, basketball player, basketball player Birth date: 6 july 2000 (22 y.o.) [62] He was named to the preseason watch lists for the Karl Malone Award, Naismith Trophy, and John R. Wooden Award. At the end of the school year, some of the senior athletes wrote letters to their teachers. [5][166] Sampson was a sprinter at Livingstone and became a middle school health and physical education teacher. [161] Williamson's outside shooting has been considered a point of concern, and he has unorthodox shot mechanics. [111][112][113] On July 1, 2019, Williamson officially signed with the Pelicans. The video shows a 5-foot-6 guard checking into one of Zion's high school games. [4] By 2018, most recruiting experts predicted that he would play for Clemson. [118] He would later become the first teenager in NBA history to score at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games. Terrific shot from Michigan Athletics on Tuesday night. Morant thrived in obscurity until just a few. "As my high school journey ends, I wish you could go with me," he wrote. Why do people not show up to see this kid?'". Is this the best team Tony Bennett has had at UVA? In his freshman and only season with Duke, Williamson was named ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year. Experienced Information Technology Support Analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the IT industry. [117] On February 24, he led the Pelicans to a 115101 win over the Golden State Warriors. Fewer than 10 students signed up for the course. Wasn't a play call, was just him seeing the game and making that read.". Zion Williamson High School Mixtape 27,621 views Jun 12, 2019 Zion Williamson in High School. By the middle of Williamson's junior year, after he scored 53 in the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia against top prospect Jalek Felton, the 6-foot-7, 230-pound teenager was a media sensation. [15] High school sports website MaxPreps named him National Junior of the Year and to the High School All-American first team, while USA Today High School Sports gave him All-USA first team recognition. New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of the first Play-In game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans,. Zion Williamson's Year in College Was Worth More Than He Got His name surfaces again in a lawsuit over shoe company payments to college players. He smiles slightly, perhaps amused by his own poetic assessment, a deviation from his typically matter-of-fact tone. I do think this is the best team Bennett has ever had. Wofford? As a result, Zion lost only three games throughout two years of middle school. "Instead, I will take the lessons you have taught me and apply them to my next chapter.". In his freshman year, Zion stood 6-foot-3. But he saved one piece of writing that he feels comfortable sharing because it was read aloud at a school event. Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). [69], On January 5, 2019, he had another strong performance versus Clemson, with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and a 360-degree dunk in 22 minutes. Sartor, now the coach at Erskine College, says Williamson wasn't unusually big when he first saw him play in sixth grade. [15] Entering the season, he was among 50 players selected to the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award watch list. [37] While recovering, he commented, "It's really been a time to grow mentally. 22, giving the New Orleans Pelicans two months to prepare for an important day in regard to the team's future. [76] One week later, he scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in an 8163 victory over Notre Dame. [156][157] In addition, according to different analysts, he resembles NBA players LeBron James and Julius Randle. Instead, he finds the next NBA player to come out of Murray State. [26] He repeated as SCISA Region I-2A Player of the Year. The bit about him being teammates with Zion Williamson in grassroots basketball is a growing legend. [46] For his 201718 high school season, Williamson was named to the USA Today All-USA first team and MaxPreps All-American second team. Bryson Bishop presents one of his college jerseys to Williamson that sported the same number . [85] Nike saw the value of its stock drop by $1.1 billion the following day as a result of the incident. He set the single-game school scoring record for freshmen in January 2019, claimed ACC Rookie of the Week accolades five times, earned AP Player of the Year, Sporting News College Player of the Year recognition, and won the Wayman Tisdale Award. Kane wanders into the back gym, looking for grub. Recently, she says, Williamson was excited to tell her about a photo essay he worked on in college documenting his own grueling schedule. Five comps for Zion "I think it helped with my personality," he says. Duke's Zion Williamson (1) flashes a grin after his team made a play against North Carolina State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C March 18, 2019, 3:28PM Williamson, then a 6-foot-6 junior, looked down in amazement at Bishop, then a 5-foot-6 eighth grader, who was clapping it up as he took his assignment to guard Williamson. [86][87] The day after the injury, Duke announced that Williamson was "day-to-day. 1 Duke Past Clemson 8768", "Virginia's Guy, Duke's Williamson recognized", "Duke's Zion Williamson posts all-around gem in rout of Wake Forest", "Duke star Zion Williamson poked in left eye, suffers double vision", "Tyus Battle's 32 Lead Syracuse to Shocking Upset Win over Zion Williamson, Duke", "Duke University Men's Basketball Postgame Notes January 14, 2019 vs. Syracuse", "Williamson Grabs Third ACC Freshman of the Week Honor", "Zion Williamson leaves an impression on Notre Dame", "Duke University Men's Basketball Postgame Notes January 28, 2019 vs. Notre Dame", "Williamson's 29 leads No. In 2021, he became the fourth youngest NBA player to be selected to an All-Star game.[2]. The Pelicans may not have had the season . Daum had 34 and 21 vs. North Dakota last week. Overall he burned them for six makes, a career best. Ja Morant is an incredible point guard and is a potential top five pick because of his floor-reading ability as much as his athleticism. So he asks an event organizer where he can get some concession-stand food. It was a notable tournament in Greensboro, N.C., that sent the two on forking paths. At first, team officials were hopeful that he would be ready to return by the end of January. "The kid can write.". Accordingly, Zion suffered only three defeats in two years in middle school. He was 14 of 24 from the field, but there is no doubt which bucket was his biggest. "He was definitely better than a lot of the kids from a basketball IQ perspective," he says. We know he listens to Jay-Z, a preference that his young teammates have described, disturbingly to anyone born before 1990, as "old school." The family was introduced to the school when Williamson's stepfather, who played hoops at Clemson, met Spartanburg Day's coach, Lee Sartor, through the AAU circuit. Sitting inside the gym, with its 1,000-person capacity, it's hard to imagine the larger-than-life Williamson rumbling down the court. The answer is eight -- but it will soon be 10. In high school, he drew national attention for his slam dunks. [147], Williamson is listed at 6ft 6in (1.98m) tall and weighs 284 pounds (129kg). 260 10K views 2 years ago Most of you who watched Zion Williamson dominate the high school ranks probably remember his point guard running mate, Chandler Lindsey. The team is making 67.6 percent of its freebies, which ranks 256th in the sport and is flirting with the worst foul-shot percentage for Duke since 1994-95 -- the last time the Blue Devils didn't make the NCAA Tournament. Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 19:28. His name isn't even available in the recruiting packet handed out to coaches at the event. In a recently unearthed documentary from Williamson's high school days in South Carolina, the big man talks about his relationship with young fans and explains why he always signs as many . [19] On November 24, Williamson erupted for 50 points, including 10 dunks, along with 16 rebounds and 5 blocks versus Proviso East High School at the Tournament of Champions. [17] He made his season debut on November 15, 2016, recording 42 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Cardinal Newman High School. ", The next day, after Duke advances to the second round, Williamson sits in the locker room for his obligatory media availability, his boulder-sized chest caving in a little as a battalion of reporters descends. Twelve? His parents are Lateef Williamson and Sharonda Sampson. The best testers were kept in the main gym. #SCtop10 #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/MDwRFHFCrZ. [11] By his second year in high school, he stood 6ft 6in (1.98m). A few minutes later, he answers it again. [4] He competed in youth leagues with his mother Sharonda Sampson coaching and played for the Sumter Falcons on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, facing opponents four years older than him. "But there are also some things that are just innate. While Williamson and his family emphatically avoided the spotlight during his time at Duke, turning down most interview requests -- including one for this story -- there are lessons to be gleaned from examining his years at Spartanburg Day, a K-12 school with just 450 students (Williamson's graduating class had 45 kids). 1, Top 25 And 1: Miami loses Wong to NBA Draft, NBA Mock Draft: Bama's Miller up to No. 111 ] [ 153 ] Williamson, who is left-handed, is almost.! Lot easier for other people, '' she says not show up to see this kid? ''. 'S really been a time to grow mentally raw shooter, could dominate tougher.! Draft: Bama 's Miller up to no its 1,000-person capacity, it 's really been time... 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