For the second consecutive year, a Blue Devil is heading to the Connecticut Sun.
Former Duke center Elizabeth Williams was selected by the Sun with the fourth pick in Thursday's WNBA draft. A four-time AP All-America selection, the Virginia Beach, Va., native led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding this season and will take her talents to Uncasville, Conn., when the WNBA season kicks off June 5.
"Just a rush of excitement, that was the general feeling," Williams said of hearing her name called. "I thought it was pretty likely, especially if Seattle didn't pick me as the third pick. If they decided not to take a post then I figured Conecticut would probably take a post..... I'm just really grateful and thankful that I'm here."
The draft was held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, where Williams will player her home games with the Sun. The 6-foot-3 center was greeted warmly by a sizable contingent of hometown fans that attended the draft to see who Connecticut would select.
When Williams arrives at training camp, there will be a familiar face waiting for her.
Former Duke point guard Chelsea Gray was drafted by the Sun with the 11th pick in last year's draft. After suffering a fractured kneecap in January 2014 that ended her Duke career, Gray is healthy and ready to make her debut with Connecticut after sitting out last season, and will get to reconnect with Williams, who played alongside Gray for three years in Durham.
"I think it will be great. I missed playing with Chelsea, it was unfortunate that I couldn't play a lot with her her senior year," Williams said. "But now to be able to play with her again because she's healthy and ready to go, it's going to be awesome."
Duke's season ended March 28 with a loss to top-seeded Maryland in the Sweet 16. Since then, Williams said she has been giving herself time to rest ahead of a long summer of basketball. The 34-game WNBA regular season runs into September with playoffs to follow.
Williams was in Tampa, Fla., for Final Four weekend, where she was honored as the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year. A defensive force throughout her time in Durham, Williams blocked a shot in her first 91 games in a Duke uniform, setting a school and conference record. The four-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year finished her career ninth in NCAA history with 426 rejections.
"I've been resting my body because once I start training for training camp and then go to training camp, it's pretty much non-stop basketball because I want to play overseas as well," Williams said. "As far as communicating, I've been talking to a couple agents, I haven't signed with one yet. I talked to a couple coaches that I saw in Tampa but that's about it."
Williams came to Duke as the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2011 and immediately made an impact for head coach Joanne P. McCallie's squad, winning National Freshman of the Year honors and earning a spot on the AP All-America third team. The highlight of her freshman season was a triple-double against Wake Forest, when Williams scored 18 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and swatted 12 shots.
Williams played in the 2012 NCAA tournament despite a stress fracture in her leg, helping Duke reach the Elite Eight. She made a return journey there as a sophomore before falling to top-seeded Notre Dame. As a junior, Williams' Blue Devils lost at home to DePaul in the Round of 32.
As the lone returning starter from the 2013-14 squad, Williams was expected to carry the load offensively for Duke this season. The veteran posted 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in her senior campaign while juggling the demands of a pre-med academic course load. Williams missed a handful of games in November due to a foot injury but returned to the court and helped lead the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16.
“Elizabeth is an amazing student-athlete who will thrive in the professional ranks,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said in a press release. “She has all the natural talents and skills while possessing a great work ethic and tremendous character.”
The 6-foot-3 center started 132 of the 136 games she played in as a Blue Devil, posting 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game for her career and finishing just shy of becoming the fourth Duke player to join the 2,000 point club, but will now attempt to make the transition to the professional game.
"[My focus is] just expanding my range and being a more versatile player, because these players are bigger, faster, stronger," Williams said. "The game is a lot quicker, a lot more physical, so just expanding what I do well and growing on what I don't."
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