Williams plans to relax, concentrate on season

While three of his teammates will likely be chosen to represent their country in the FIBA World Championships for Young Men tournament in August, Team USA alum Jason Williams has something different in mind for this summer.

Instead of competing as a member of USA basketball, as he has the past two summers, Williams plans on getting ahead on his coursework, working on his game, and most of all, relaxing.

"My body just needs to rest, because, for the past two-and-a-half years, I've been playing non-stop basketball," Williams said. "I still want to play basketball, I just don't want to play competitively for a while. I'd rather take some time to work on my game and relax. This is my last year of college. I'll be graduating [next year]. I want to be a kid for a minute. I haven't had the chance to be that for a while. I want to be with my girlfriend at home, and just have fun."

Throughout the past two summers, Williams has spent very little time at home. Before college, he served as the point guard for USA Junior National Select team that won the USA Hoops Summit in Tampa, Fla. And last year, Williams did double duty for his country, competing as a member of the World Championship for Young Men team in Brazil and testing his progress on a select team of college players that trained with the Olympic Dream Team before the start of the Sydney games.

Therefore, Williams understands the benefits his teammates will receive from competing in international tournaments.

"I think these guys are going to pick up a lot," Williams said. "It's not just improvement, I think it's a level of confidence that you're getting.

And after his teammates gain this newfound confidence and he recuperates from fast-paced schedule, Williams believes the Blue Devils will be in prime position to repeat as national champions.

"A lot of people are saying that all these other teams are going to be really good," Williams said. "But I think there's a chance for us to be better than we were this year.