The Duke men's basketball team received its fifth player for the Class of 2006 when Shelden Williams, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Midwest City, Okla., verbally committed to the Blue Devils last night. Williams' coach at Midwest City High School, Rodney Dinby, confirmed Williams' commitment to Duke Monday afternooon after EliteHoopsRecruits.com reported that unnamed sources had stated Williams' intention to play at Duke.
Dinby, who served as an assistant with Midwest City for five years before becoming head coach this summer, described Williams as a solid post and perimeter player. Williams joins guards Sean Dockery and J.J. Redick and forwards Lee Melchionni and Michael Thompson in Duke's recruiting class of 2002. He is rated the fifth-best prospect in the country by Prep Stars
Recruiter's Handbook, while The Sporting News lists Williams as the No. 1 power forward in his class.
Many were surprised when Williams, who had stated publicly that Duke was his favorite, did not commit to Duke after visiting the campus two weekends ago for the Duke All-Star Charity basketball game. However, after the Duke coaching staff visited Williams' home Sunday evening, the 230-lb. power forward decided that he wanted to play for the Blue Devils.
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