Words by Roman White
High School basketball phenom, Zion Williamson has committed to play basketball for the Duke University Blue Devils. Williamson was offered full rides from prominent basketball colleges like Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, and Baylor – but the 6’6, 270 lb Spartanburg, South Carolina native decided to stay closer to home. Williamson will get a chance to play for future Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski and joins the ranks of former Duke players like Kyrie Irving, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor and J.J. Redick.
Duke stood out, because the brotherhood represents a family,” Williamson told ESPN. “Coach K is just the most legendary coach that ever coached college basketball. I feel like going to Duke University, I can learn a lot from him.”
The number 2 player on ESPN’s top 100 was recently chosen for the McDonald’s All-American team along with fellow Duke committed ballers and number 1 and number 3 players on the ESPN top 100 R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. It seems as though Duke is getting some real fire power coming into next season as Tre Jones, the number 10 player on the same ESPN list also committed to Duke giving Duke 4 freshman next season in the top ten best ball players in high school.
Williamson became an internet sensation with videos of him throwing down vicious dunks going viral. Between the legs, windmills, and 360’s are all part of the big man’s dunk package. He often performed these dunks in pre-game warm-ups, but was not shy about throwing down in games as well. Despite Williamson being a top recruit, Spartanburg Day School has been less than impressive with an 8-7 record so far this season. With ten games left in their regular season, we’ll see if Williamson can make his last season at Spartanburg Day a memorable one before he starts his collegiate career as a Blue Devil.
The McDonald’s All-American game is scheduled to take place March 28 at Phillip’s Arena in Atlanta.
