Jason Williams had his big interview on WXDU last night. The quality of the Real
Audio feed has improved tremendously. Maybe it's the new player, but it's really
good.
We tuned in when his mother called, which was funny. She was sweet and very
nice. After she called, one of the announcers said his mom had a name for the
(unnamed) show:
"Live Balls...my mom calls up and wanted to name the show "Live Balls. No
way." Wise young man.
Here are some of Jason's comments as best we could record them. He's a funny,
gregarious kid, a bit shy, but willing to say what he thinks. He's a shoo-in for
the best interview in the Duke locker room in a few years. Right now sometimes
he'd be better suited to not say things, like maybe not to go after Cota so
early - that could come back and haunt him - but all in all he's an
earnest and immensely likable kid.
- On leaving early
-
"Not without Coach K's approval. ..I won't go without this approval. I
cherish the academics and the school so much." (He went on to say particularly
after last year he would only go if Coach K firmly supported it).
- Why the (presumptive) starting team lose the
scrimmage: - "Everyone was really tired, played pickup, recruits were in..not an excuse,
but it was a long day."
- Do you have a girlfriend?
- " A girl back home sort of...I'm pretty much single right now, but no one i'm
dying in love with right now. - "I don't have a girlfriend." (announcer)
- "What s your name?" (announcer)
- "Mildred." (caller)
- "I'm also free (announcer, giggling)
- You think they're gonna call me? (announcer)
- On getting to know Coach K:
-
"Coach K [seems like] a cold, stiff guy...looks so boring on tv...but then when i met
him..."He s so talkative, he'll talk your ear off. He'll be a father figure to
me
here...they're all great people. He cares a lot for his players. I want to
be loved and i want to love somebody.
- On Wojo:
- "He's a great person and such a competitor..he didn't know if I
had it...I
started diving on the floor.. we drew a lot closer. He has a lot to offer
me...helps me to fight through injuries...knows the right buttons to push." - "I would never call him Steve, I have too much respect...I call him
Coach Wo...he's going to be a great coach one day." - "I need to work on my mental state.. I'm still like a kid in some ways...no
sign of stress or hurt or weakness...they're helping me a lot with that."
- "On Point Guard tradition at Duke:
- "I see [the relationship between myself and the coaches] growing...the potential is there, and one day it
will be like it was with the others"
- On Ed Cota
- "Nobody really likes him and i don't like him much either....i've been
waiting for this for so long. the coaches want that for every game. i'll
probably get too hyped up. - edcota@hotmail.com "bring it on"
- "I'm ready for it whenever you are man."
- "Off the court he IS pretty cool. something about a lot of the points in the
ACC.. it causes a fire in my heart...i look forward to taking that on. - "Bring it on."
- High School vs. College
- "You cant' get jiggy with it [in college].
- "[Casey Sanders] swatted it so hard it started a fast break."
- "You have to play your heart out....100% hard."
- Your parents don't want you on the net,
right? - "My dad's an AT&T marketer and always on the net. I go on with him but
I never see stuff about myself, because it's all hype....we don't have
cable...me and carlos decided to pretty much be simple and not worry about it.
After you watch five or six [Kung Fu movies] you get bored.
- On pressure
-
I've always been hit with pressure, and then high school, there's Tubby or Steve
Smith or Coach K...I always have handled pressure real well...i look
forward to leading along with captains...
- His Dad's argument about how to choose a school:
- "Do you want to be a man among paupers or a man among men?"
- What he'd like his legacy to be:
- "I hope in the long run everyone realizes how much I've worked my
butt off..2 months only and I'm dying...hopefully one of the best points
ever here..."
- What Is Your Dream Play?
- "A lot of people love to score..but a dream play for me is playing in the
finals...2 seconds left..drive around my man...i don't have to hit the big shot. I
could see myself passing it to Shane...my dream this year is to
pass it to C-well to win the championship since he's the only
senior....hopefully it can happen to me but I'm more worried about them
this year.
- Final comment, to Ed Cota
- "bring it on."