Elliot Williams Leaving Duke For Memphis 06/27/2009
Posted by Zach in Transfers.Tags: Duke Blue Devils, Elliot Williams, Memphis Tigers
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UPDATE 6/28: Elliot Williams to Memphis is official, according to Memphis native Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline.
Williams will likely be granted a waiver to play this season for coach Josh Pastner due to his mother battling cancer. He’ll immediately jump into a starting lineup that could include Roburt Sallie, Wesley Witherspoon, Doneal Mack, Pierre Niles-Henderson and 5-star freshman Latavious Williams. They’ll likely challenge Tulsa for the Conference USA title.
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Some shocking news on a Wednesday morning for the debut post on Rise and Fire: Duke standout guard Elliot Williams, who stepped into the starting lineup so formidably in the middle of last season, will leave Durham to be closer to his hometown of Memphis. His leave is not due to Coach K sucking his blood, but instead because of unspecified family medical reasons.
Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman expects Williams to transfer to Memphis (Memphis is close to Memphis so that makes sense). He’d surely be a welcome addition for new coach Josh Pastner in two seasons.
Williams was inserted into the starting following the Blue Devils 80-74 loss to Boston College. He would help lead Duke to a 10-2 record, an ACC Tournament crown and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Villanova. It was expected that Williams would retain the starting job for the 2009-10 season. With Greg Paulus also departing, it appears Nolan Smith will return as starting point guard with Jon Scheyer manning the 2-spot.
“We fully support him in his efforts to be closer to (his family) during this trying time,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He is a good young man with an opportunity to become an outstanding player. We wish him well as he determines his future. He will always be a part of our program and we will always be in his corner.”
Williams averaged 4.2 PPG and 2.3 RPG last season for Duke.
