Elizabeth Williams may think accolades are “cool” and she has picked up plenty of them in less than two years at Duke, but what she really wants is a chance to play in the NCAA tournament semifinals.
Williams, a sophomore center for the Blue Devils, has proven her elite caliber both among her teammates and on the national stage. She was recently named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and accompanied injured guard Chelsea Gray on the All-ACC defensive team.
Williams has also been Duke’s most consistent offensive presence, leading the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, despite starting the season on the bench because of a stress fracture in her leg she suffered last season. Adding an average of 7.1 rebounds per game and recording at least one block in every collegiate contest of her career, she has become a force in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Although the stress fracture limited her mobility early in the season, Williams has hit her stride in time to make a statement against the top collegiate programs in the NCAA tournament. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie is confident in her center’s preparedness for the pressures of the tournament.
Read more about Duke women's basketball in the 2013 NCAA tournament
“I’m just really excited for Elizabeth because she’s fought through so much,” McCallie said. “She ran [last week] in practice maybe like she hasn’t run before in terms of feeling good and feeling better about everything—her timing and her chance to play out there.”
While Williams has certainly improved individually this season, she has benefited from Duke’s talent at the guard position, including the passing of Gray, the ACC Co-Player of the Year. Without Gray in the lineup due to a season-ending knee injury, Williams and the Blue Devils have had to adjust to the loss of their top distributor and emotional leader.
“It’s always difficult to lose your starting point guard. It’s hard but I think we’ve been doing a really good job of coping with it,” Williams said.
The focal point of Duke’s offense and defense has progressively shifted to Williams during the seven-game stretch after losing Gray. Williams, however, does not feel more pressure to lead the Blue Devils, who dropped their first ACC game of the season to Miami with Gray on the sidelines.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure. I think we’ve gotten a couple of game without her, and it’s just been an adjustment really,” Williams said. “I think [Alexis Jones] has been doing a really good job and all the guards filling in their roles.”
Williams seems comfortable with the situation Duke now finds itself in and feels that she is prepared to face any of the top centers in the collegiate ranks.
“I think ACC play in general has helped with that. There’s a lot of really good post players especially in the top teams in the ACC,” Williams said. “Kind of having that in the back of my mind and trying to go hard in practice against all the guys. I think that helps.”
Much of Williams’ development as a strong post player and defensive presence on the court is a result not only of the onus she puts on herself, but the high bar McCallie sets for her star center.
“I think she’s an All-American in her own right. I think she has very high standards, and I feel like she’s been trying to meet those standards all season long. I think that’s been frustrating for her at times feeling like she hadn’t done that,” McCallie said. “To me, as I say, it’s not about perfection, it’s about going for it and being excited about the opportunity. And I think she’s just in a great place finishing up the regular season and getting excited for a new season.”
Against then-No. 3 Connecticut, Duke’s lone matchup this season against a top-five squad, Williams scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the 30-point loss for Duke. Although it was not her best offensive game, she held Husky center Stefanie Dolson to just six points and six boards.
That experience has given Williams a better sense of where she and her teammates need to improve headed into the postseason.
“For me being a force inside both offensively and defensively demanding the ball and scoring,” Williams said. “As a team, [we have to be] able to play our game and play the defense like we’re capable of doing. I think it’s important when you play teams like that to really disrupt what they do on offense because they’re usually high-scoring teams, so if we’re able to do that and take care of the ball and not have careless turnovers, we’ll be fine.”
Although her demeanor on the court is often soft-spoken, Williams remains one the most capable leaders for this experienced Blue Devil squad. Without Gray’s vocal presence especially during close games, Williams’ skill in the paint can contribute to a deep tournament run.
“I’m feeling good—really excited for the tournament. I think we all are. It’s a new season now that the regular season is done,” she said. “Now it’s win or go home.”
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