", "Duke's Zion Williamson talks dunks, his fame and learning from Coach K", "Is Zion Williamson the best prep dunker ever? It's also where the Carolina Panthers train; a couple of summers ago, several NFL players paused their workouts to gawk at Williamson as he practiced in the gym. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020. As a junior in high school, Zion averaged 36.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks . While Williamson's unusual high school rsum molded him in unexpected ways, it also made him a mystery in scouting circles. The 2023 NBA Draft will take place on Jun. Ja Morant is an incredible point guard and is a potential top five pick because of his floor-reading ability as much as his athleticism. [16] Starting in the 201617 season, Williamson was propelled into the national spotlight for his viral highlight videos. The NBA's bottom-dwellers dream of Zion Williamson as they wait to discover their fate in the lottery. Zion Williamson should take notes. But it was this Vince Carter-on-Frederic Weis imitation on Jan. 10 that hoisted his rep. JA MORANT DROPPED HIM! First-round winners/losers Zion was also considering Clemson, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina. [23] On January 15, 2017, he received nationwide publicity after rapper Drake wore his jersey in an Instagram post. Zion Williamson played just 29 games through the entire 2022-23 NBA season New Orleans lost in the play-in to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night DailyMail.com provides all the latest . A few minutes later, he answers it again. "Zion was always a mild-mannered kid, never showed much expression," Tee Morant, Ja's father, told CBS Sports. Williamson also left high school as a McDonald's All-American, runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA, and USA Today All-USA first team honoree. "He was definitely better than a lot of the kids from a basketball IQ perspective," he says. [7] At the time, he competed for the South Carolina Hornets AAU team as well, where he was teammates with Ja Morant. Moreover, he was included in the All-USA first team by USA . Sartor remembers sending a video of one of Williamson's early in-game yams to ESPN, then marveling at the ripple effect. In late-September, team officials were hopeful that he would be ready to return by the start of the season. So, he knows what the $194 million contract-bound Zion Williamson has already got without playing one complete season since his draft. [4] By 2018, most recruiting experts predicted that he would play for Clemson. At each player's respective pace, Clemons (29.2 points per game) should hit 3K on Feb. 21 in Campbell's home game vs. High Point. [117] On February 24, he led the Pelicans to a 115101 win over the Golden State Warriors. Without looking, what's your guess on how many Division I men's basketball players have scored 3,000 career points? 2 Duke to 91-61 rout of St. John's", "Williamson Named National Player, ACC Freshman of the Week", "Barrett has triple-double, No. Within a few months, Morant would commit to Murray State, doing so in McMahon's home and surprising the staff and players in the process. According to Tee Morant, 13 Division I programs made official courtships for Ja, including Frank Martin's South Carolina Gamecocks. Then he started writing poems. [15] High school sports website MaxPreps named him National Junior of the Year and to the High School All-American first team, while USA Today High School Sports gave him All-USA first team recognition. @MattNorlander do you think there is any chance Buffalo could end up with a top 4 seed? To find a spot for Williamson in the league, Givony said teams . "[38] Williamson made his return from the injury on January 11, 2018, scoring 31 points in a 7162 victory over Asheville Christian Academy. He would join fellow top recruits Canada's R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish from Pennsylvania. [69], On January 5, 2019, he had another strong performance versus Clemson, with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and a 360-degree dunk in 22 minutes. During his senior and final high school season, Zion Williamson committed to Duke on January 20, 2018 in a live ESPN telecast. "[158] Williamson, who is left-handed, is almost ambidextrous. [71] On January 8, he posted 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in an 8765 win over Wake Forest. Duke has traditionally ranked among the best power-conference teams -- if not the best teams overall -- from long range. Would trading Zion to build a Knicks superteam be a mistake? Zion's senior team at his high school has won three state championships. 1 fan Drake sports his high school jersey", "Zion Williamson 48 Points & Dunks On Everyone But The Coach", "Zion Williamson sets state record in rout", "201617 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Junior All-American Team", "201617 MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball All-American Team", "ALL-USA Boys Basketball First Team: Zion Williamson, Spartanburg Day (S.C.)", "No. But when the adults who crossed paths with Williamson share their memories of him, it's striking how rarely they lean on the usual athlete-as-a-young-prodigy tropes ("When I showed up at the gym, he was already there! From there, he threw downanother obscene dunk last week and, most recently, posted a 40-point, 11-assist, five-steal showingthat marked the first time in 20 years that a Division I player put up those stats in a regulation game. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video . Title", "Williamson Voted ACC Male Athlete of the Year", "ACC 2019 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team, Postseason Awards", "Duke's Zion Williamson is Sporting News Player, Freshman of the Year", "Zion Williamson Returns in Style, Leading Duke to Victory Over Syracuse", "Duke University Men's Basketball Postgame Notes March 14, 2019 vs. Syracuse (ACC Tournament Quarterfinals)", "Duke remains No. 2 Duke beats NC State, 94-78", "Duke's Williamson sweeps ACC weekly honors", "Zion Williamson felled by faulty Nike as North Carolina blast top-ranked Duke", "Duke star Zion Williamson considered 'day-to-day' with a knee sprain", "With Zion injured, No. Today, he continues, Williamson is not only the most unique athlete he's ever coached, but also possesses a rare emotional intellect. Twelve? Is this the best team Tony Bennett has had at UVA? Duke was 9-for-43 vs. the Orange, then, interestingly, was 2-for-14 vs. Virginia but didn't lose -- in part because the Blue Devils watched UVA go 3-for-17. [100] After posting 21 points in a 7363 victory over Florida State in the championship game, Williamson was named ACC Tournament MVP, becoming the sixth freshman to win the honor. Lee Sartor: Coaching Zion Williamson in High School Lee Sartor began coaching club basketball at a young age, and has been coaching at Erskine College for four years now. [98] Williamson also became the first Duke player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a game since Christian Laettner in 1992. ", "Another Zion Williamson season ends in the toilet", "Why 5-star Zion Williamson would fit better at Clemson than Kentucky, Kansas, or Duke", "Zion Williamson breaks Duke vertical leap record", "We've never seen anyone like Zion Williamson but will his game work in the NBA? My guess on active coaches who will be in the Hall of Fame by the year 2039: John Beilein, Tony Bennett, Mark Few, Bob Huggins, Lon Kruger, Tubby Smith, Jay Wright. My top five teams to watch, in no order: Marquette, Duke, Gonzaga, St. John's, Nevada. [131] By mid-October, the timeline for his expected return was extended until December. In July 2016, former Murray State assistant James Kane was heavily recruiting a prospect named Tevin Brown (who now starts for Murray State). ", The next day, after Duke advances to the second round, Williamson sits in the locker room for his obligatory media availability, his boulder-sized chest caving in a little as a battalion of reporters descends. had to ice his knees to soothe his growing pains, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "), instead telling stories that paint a picture of an active, growing mind. At age nine, Williamson began waking up every morning at 5a.m. to go train. He opens a folder sitting on his lap and pulls out a sheet of paper. Home Team Vault Open Description Open Description 735 Dislike Share Save Home Team. ", "Name to Know: 6'5 2018 Zion Williamson of Spartanburg Country Day (SC)", "Top247 No. Williamson, for his part, quickly developed a reputation as an unselfish player -- a characteristic, says Bui, that dates back to his high school days. Being a star athlete, Zion Williamson is quite a in demand. It was during that summer with the Hornets that Williamson had his first burst of fame on the recruiting circuit. It's 292nd, hitting just 31.2 percent of its triples, which is a 6-percent drop from a season ago. Williamson, for his part, quickly developed a reputation as an unselfish player -- a characteristic, says Bui, that dates back to his high school days. Morant and Williamson were part of the South Carolina Hornets AAU team in . pic.twitter.com/kPbNUhKiDQ, "The athleticism, explosiveness, it's unbelievable," McMahon said. Recently, she says, Williamson was excited to tell her about a photo essay he worked on in college documenting his own grueling schedule. ", Pell laughs. [135] Williamson made his return from injury on October 4, 2022, putting up 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in a 129125 preseason win over the Chicago Bulls. In a recently unearthed documentary from Williamson's high school days in South Carolina, the big man talks about his relationship with young fans and explains why he always signs as many . ", Here's how Zion would look on some lottery teams (0:54), Sources: Ex-ND coach Brey to join Hawks staff, Miami PG Wong, ACC's POY, entering NBA draft, Highly touted guard Westry transfers to Syracuse, Guard Ashworth commits to transfer to Creighton, Louisville transfer Ellis joining Arkansas hoops, Pate signs with NBA's G League Ignite program, UConn guard Alleyne transfers to St. John's, Montana St. hires Point Loma's Logie as coach, UConn is No. [5] In the summer leading up to his first season, Williamson practiced in the school gym and developed the ability to dunk. "See what I mean about the sensitivity?" Williamson was also named ACC Athlete of the Year, becoming the 10th Duke player to win the Award. [4] He competed in youth leagues with his mother Sharonda Sampson coaching and played for the Sumter Falcons on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, facing opponents four years older than him. Trade tracker and grades. Without anyone saying a word to him, he flipped our 4 and 5, he saw they were over-sending on the pin-down, ran the same play, had the 4 slip the pin-down and threw a left handed lob pass from 25 feet on the money for a dunk. (Mike Krzyzewski) is just the most legendary coach that ever coached college basketball. [12] He led the Griffins to their first SCISA Region I-2A title in program history. We know he likes anime, because his mother revealed as much in a sideline interview (bloggers were thrilled). [93] When the regular season concluded, Williamson earned Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the ACC, joining former Duke players Jahlil Okafor and Marvin Bagley III as the only recipients of both awards. Regardless, most schools only came calling after Murray State found him. [132] In mid-December, it was announced that the injury was slow to heal and he would most likely be out another four to six weeks with a possible return to action around the all-star break. "He called me and said, 'This kid's going to be a pro.'". Donnie Bui, a 27-year-old videographer who cut highlight reels for the website BallIsLife.com, moved to Charlotte to cover Williamson. Why do people not show up to see this kid?'". . [57], In a live ESPN telecast on January 20, 2018, Williamson committed to Duke. Zion Williamson, 6'7, 230, Power Forward, 16.1 years old, Spartanburg Day (SC) 2018 Already one of the top recruits in the class of 2018, Zion Williamson was able to further bolster his stock last week with a victory in the dunk contest, an impressive couple of scrimmages, and a highly efficient performance in the Elite 24 game (10-10 from the field), despite being the youngest player in . Always a mild-mannered kid, never showed much expression, '' McMahon said the for. Most legendary coach that ever coached college basketball officials were hopeful that he would join fellow top recruits Canada #... 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