Shelden Williams
will make it official tomorrow, according to Dave Telep, who says a press
conference is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Mike Sullivan has a story too, though we
can't get the page to launch right now.
So for those of you who don't know much about Shelden, what's the big deal?
Glad you asked!
He's a very good athlete, he's powerful (300-lb. bench press), he works hard
on his game and he plays hard. He has a 7'4" wingspan, and he can extend his defense away from the basket. He has a fairly polished inside game, can pass pretty well, and can step outside to make a jump shot. He is called the Landlord for a reason - he owns the paint. For instance, he averaged 4.7 blocks per game last year.
Also, he's a very good student.
To get Shelden along with Michael Thompson puts Duke in a tremendous
situation, given the current trend for big men to head straight for the NBA. Thompson's a legitimate center whose stock has risen dramatically since he began to play more aggressively this summer. His family is well-off and well-educated, and he's likely to stay 3 or 4 years.
Additionally, should Shavlik Randolph decide to come to Duke, these two would
let him play the rest of the court and he won't be chained to the post.Â
This would be a very great positive, because his game, with his passing,
shooting, and ballhandling skills, compliments their inside game nicely.