November 13, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

Elliot Williams was living his dream.

Williams, a former five-star prospect, had jumped on the chance to play for his dream program and moved into Duke's starting lineup late in his freshman season. He figured to play a more prominent role this season as a sophomore.

One conversation changed his plans.

"My mom told me she would like me to be close to home," Williams said. "It was as simple as that. I had to make the decision."

So instead of returning to Duke's backcourt, Williams is back in his hometown helping Memphis adjust to life in the post-John Calipari era. Williams will make his debut performance for his new team Friday when Memphis plays host to Jackson State.

Win or lose, Williams has the comfort of knowing he won't be spending the rest of the night in a dorm room thousands of miles from home. He instead gets to share some precious time with his ailing mother and the rest of his family.

Williams doesn't go into the details of his mother's illness, but he acknowledges that she also wasn't feeling well last year. That didn't stop Delois Williams from occasionally flying to her son's games at Duke.

When his mother indicated she wanted him to stay closer to home, Williams didn't hesitate to make the move. The NCAA granted Williams a waiver allowing him to play for Memphis immediately rather than sitting out a season.

"Being close to my family, that's the most important thing," Williams said. "Being with my parents, for them to be able to see their son every day, that's the most important thing."

Williams now spends as much time with his family as possible. When he isn't attending classes or participating in team workouts, Williams typically is at home.

"I'm actually living at home now," Williams said. "They set it up where I could live at home and see my mom, but at the same time focus on basketball while spending time with my family and friends. It's about 15 minutes [from home to campus]."

Williams' return means everything to his family. It also represents quite a boon for his hometown.

Memphis has lost quite a bit of star power since the end of the 2008-09 season. Kentucky hired away Calipari, who had led Memphis to the NCAA championship game in 2008 and to the Sweet 16 last season. A recruiting class projected to be the best in the nation shattered once Calipari left town. Memphis also must replace its top four scorers from last season's team, including NBA lottery pick Tyreke Evans.

"He's a super young man and a very good ambassador for people," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said. "He defines what a true student-athlete is, on and off the floor. He doesn't take that responsibility lightly. He understands he has an opportunity to make a very positive impact in the community - an amazing impact, a strong impact. It's something you can't put a price tag on."

The adjustment still represents a major challenge. Williams must deal with the pressure of playing close to home. He's playing for a new team led by a new coach. And to top it off, he is adapting to a new position.

After spending his freshman season at Duke as a shooting guard, Williams spent much of the preseason brushing up on his point-guard skills. The hope is that Williams can alternate between both guard spots.

Williams, who is 6 feet 5, joins a crowded backcourt that also features 6-5 senior Doneal Mack, 6-9 sophomore swingman Wesley Witherspoon, 6-5 junior Roburt Sallie and 6-2 senior Willie Kemp. Each member of that quartet averaged at least 13 minutes per game last season. Williams' ability to play both guard positions gives Pastner more options as he works with a roster short on frontcourt talent.

"I've been mostly a slasher or shooting guard, but just being my height, I've always had the ability to see the court pretty well," Williams said. "I've just been working on my ballhandling and raising my IQ to be the best point guard I can be. ... Willie could play the point guard and I can move to the 'two,' or sometimes Wesley can play the point guard position. It's interchangeable.

"We have a lot of guards."

Williams averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.0 turnovers in two exhibitions, and Pastner believes Williams possesses too much versatility to be limited to one particular position.

"He can play the point. He can play the off-guard spot," Pastner said. "He's just a player. He has a great motor. He's a very good athlete. He's a tremendous on-the-ball defender. He gives it all every time he steps on the floor for every practice, every second we go."

Memphis needs a big season from Williams as it attempts to continue thriving in a season of transition.

The Tigers have advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in four consecutive seasons, but they could struggle to make the NCAA field this season. Although they have won 61 consecutive Conference USA games, they were picked to finish behind Tulsa in a preseason poll of Conference USA media conducted by the Orlando Sentinel.

"I think we can be really good," Williams said. "There are a lot of new guys coming in. We've got a new coach. We've got a lot of guards. Of course we're a little low on big men, but at the same time, they're learning really fast. I know there aren't a lot of expectations for us and a lot of people don't pick us out of Conference USA, but we're just using that as fuel."

"My dream was to play at Duke,'' Williams said.

Williams averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds at Duke. His role increased dramatically late in the season when Williams moved into the starting lineup and provided a defensive spark that helped the Blue Devils win the ACC tournament.

When Williams indicated his plans to transfer, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski understood why he needed to return to his family.

"They have a great family, a solid group," Krzyzewski said. "We're pulling for him. We've tried to accommodate them in every way so they could take care of the family situation.''

"Coach K was unbelievable during the process," Pastner said. "He understood."

Williams now feels right at home, and not just for the obvious reasons. He already had gotten to know Kemp, Mack and forward Pierre Henderson-Niles when Memphis was recruiting him out of high school. He was familiar with Witherspoon from the AAU circuit. And though he didn't know Pastner well before transferring to Memphis, he quickly has established a rapport with his new coach.

The circumstances involved have made this a difficult homecoming, but Williams is intent on making the best of the situation.

"It's a very bittersweet thing," Pastner said. "He'd rather not be at home for these reasons, but he's close with his family, he's here and he's handled it like a pro. I know on an every-day basis it's tough for him, but I give him credit for the way he's handled the situation."

Williams cut short his dream scenario for a situation that eventually could prove even more fulfilling.

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.