This article is courtesy of Blue Devil Nation Premium member John Hayne.
When considering the overall context and timing of his commitment, perhaps no Duke recruit has meant more in recent years than that of McDonald's All-American Elliot Williams. When news broke on Halloween night that the Collierville, Tenn. (a Memphis suburb) native had committed to Duke, a collective sigh of relief from the Duke Blue Devil fan base could be heard around the nation. Less than a year removed from a disappointing season by Duke Standards and having missed on some top recruits, the naysayers were starting to question whether the aura and mystique surrounding the Duke program that traditionally attracted the nation's top talent had disappeared. Coach K and his staff responded by securing a commitment from top 15 prospect Elliot Williams despite intense recruiting efforts to keep him in the Volunteer State by Memphis coach John Calipari and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl.
Elliot is a slender 6'4" left-handed combo guard with all the tools necessary to contribute immediately at Duke. Elliot's scoring ability has led several recruiting gurus to project him as a "big time" ACC scorer. While there is no way of knowing at this point whether Elliot is going to instantly step in and fill the void left by departing senior DeMarcus Nelson, we do know that Elliot will certainly challenge Duke's veterans for a starting role. As is the case with all of Coach K's recruits, however, we do know for sure that Elliot is a great young man with a solid focus on academics. Woodie Jackson, coach of Elliot's McDonald's team, had the following to say about Elliot, "Outstanding young man, great attitude, real humble, works real hard. He does what he has to do, and doesn't moan and groan."
After watching online videos of Elliot, you will quickly realize why so many Duke fans find it hard to contain their excitement when thinking about Elliot donning the Duke uniform. The scouting report on Elliot is that he has explosive leaping ability and a smooth perimeter shot. He can play multiple guard positions and scores the ball the best when using dribble penetration. Elliot seemingly gets to the rim with ease and is an excellent finisher in traffic. Amazingly, Elliot is just as good, if not better, on the defensive end of the court. He has been described as having an intense competitive fire and really sets the tone for his teams on defense. Elliot is said to have exceptional lateral quickness that leads to several steals and easy transition baskets. While some question whether Elliot is physically ready for the nightly rigors of the ACC, over the past year he has become stronger and shown that he can handle the bumps and bruises along the way.
Despite a knee injury forcing him to miss a month of his senior season, Elliot averaged 22ppg, 7rbs and 5asts and he was named Tennessee Mr. Basketball for Division 2-A. During the McDonald's All-American festivities, Elliot finished second in the slam-dunk contest and the next night he scored 10 points in 13 minutes of play for the East team. During practices for the McDonald's games, Elliot is reported to have done an excellent job defending the sensational Tyreke Evans. Elliot garnered further praise for his intensity and athletic ability.
Aside from his dynamic scoring ability, forceful dunks and defensive intensity, Elliot will be welcomed by the Duke community with arms wide open because of the unbridled passion he has already developed for Duke Basketball. When asked about how last season ended and the overall state of the Duke program, Elliot responded, "I couldn't watch the last two minutes of it," he said. "I walked out. They'll be OK. Next year, we'll get it done...(Duke Basketball) is not sliding. We'll get it together next year, I promise you that."
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