Shelden Williams will be making his first trip to Boston tonight, and he's looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with a good friend.
Williams and Boston College forward Craig Smith roomed together this past summer while the two seniors played for the USA Men's World University Games Team in Turkey. As the top two scorers on the gold-medal winning team, they combined to form a dominant front-court duo that helped Team USA win its eight games by a margin of nearly 30 points per contest.
"He's a great guy, and we got a chance to know each other a lot more this summer," Williams said. "It was a great experience going out there and playing with him."
The strong bond they formed off the court aided Williams and Smith's success on it. They spent time together in their room and travelling to beaches and churches around Turkey.
"[He was] kind of quiet, he wouldn't really say anything," Williams said of his initial encounters with Smith. "I knew I was a quiet guy, but I guess I expected him to be a little bit more vocal. As we got to know each other more, we were talking and playing like we had been playing with each other for a long time."
Although Williams, who was named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Nov. 30, may have been the best player on the team, he could not escape his teammates' ridicule.
"He always used to go to bed early and we'd just nag him," Smith said. "Everybody would just clown around about each other."
Both players said they benefited from playing against each other in practices preparing for the University Games. But head coach Mike Krzyzewski said he does not expect the two preseason All-Americans to match up against each other defensively tonight.
Still, the two have tremendous respect for each other's talents. Williams said Smith is one of the most agile big men he has ever played alongside.
"I've never seen anyone cross over a post player in the post," Williams said. "But he got the ball on the block, he faced up and gave [an opponent] a cross-over to the baseline. I've never seen that in basketball."
If Williams does find himself guarding Smith tonight, however, he doesn't expect his friend to pull off the same move.
"I'm prepared for it now," Williams said jokingly.
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