5 Questions with L.D. Williams
12/17/2019 2:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
L.D. Williams became one of the most beloved Wake Forest basketball players in recent history because of his relentless defensive effort and highlight-reel dunks.
A three-year team captain, Williams finished his career with 1,005 points and 136 steals — good for 13th in Wake Forest history.
Deacon Sports Extra caught up with Williams on his visit last weekend for the Skip Prosser Classic win over Xavier.
Have you had a chance to visit the new Shah Basketball Complex?
Williams: "There was zero chance that was going to come to Winston, and not get in a workout in that facility. College basketball players, getting us to go to class sometimes is tough, but having a place to practice basketball, a place to rest and get food — it would have been tough getting us out of that place. To be able to see the finished product, and what those guys get to be around every day — it would have been pulling teeth to get us out of there, I can tell you that. Facilities are a big thing now. It's all about who has the best gidgets and gadgets in their locker room. Who has the best uniform and the best gear? That matters to kids. For us to be able to close that gap, in terms of having great facilities, helps us when kids get on campus. You can sell the people, the facilities and the experience you will have at Wake Forest."
You earned All-ACC Defensive honors two years in a row, in 2009 and 2010. What does it take to be an elite defender in the ACC?
Williams: "You just have to have a lot of pride. You have to go out there every night knowing the guy in front of you that you're guarding is going to be basically the best you've ever played against. You have pride in working to take that guy out of the game. For me, coming to Wake Forest, I had a knack for playing defense. My high school coaches emphasized defense. On the AAU circuit, that's how I got on the floor, playing alongside three All-Americans. I had to guard the other teams' best player. I knew coming to Wake, I was going to have to do something that stood out when I got there as a freshman. I honestly thought my offensive leash would be a little bit longer because of how much work I put into playing defense."
Defense isn't considered a flashy skill, but dunking is. You were considered a prolific dunker. How did you develop that skill?
Williams: "The crazy thing is that I had to learn how to finish. I was so athletic, but was so thin-framed when I got to Wake Forest. Instead of going over the top and using my body and shoulders to finish over guys through contact, I tried to jump as high as I could to avoid contact. I really had to work on that."
"Because you're a good defender, a lot of times you're at the top of the zone or at the top of the key. Whenever deflections or steals happen, you're the first guy out in transition. I was fortunate enough to play with really unselfish guys who liked to see me do my thing on the break. I knew defense created offense for me. Getting out on the break and finishing on the break over guys, and getting in the lane — it really made the game easy for me. I really had to just do three things: I had to defend at a high level, make mid-range jumpers and get out on the break and finish. That was easy. I could do that for 32 minutes a game."
What was the biggest lesson you learned while at Wake Forest?
Williams: "Just the people. There's not many colleges that can provide what Wake Forest does in terms of relational wealth. In saying that, I mean the people actually care about you. There are so many people at the game Saturday, who I had to make sure I walked around to see. There were so many people on campus that made it easy to be a student-athlete at Wake Forest. They held us accountable not only for going on the court every night and performing, but also for showing up the next day in the classroom and performing at a high level there in the same way. We all talk about is as players who were at Wake, but make sure you keep Ms. (Jane) Caldwell happy. Jane Caldwell, the academic advisor is really the key to your success. Jane Caldwell and Greg Collins (Assistant AD, Sports Medicine) are the two MVPs of Wake Forest basketball.
When was your high last high-level game of spades?
Williams: "Oh my goodness. Actually over Thanksgiving. I'm good friends with Jared Sullinger and his family. I went over there for Thanksgiving, and his mother-in-law is probably my biggest rival right now. I couldn't let her leave town without getting after her a little bit in a game of spades. I went over there after I had Thanksgiving with my family and had to throw down with some spades.
"My biggest attribute in spades, and anybody who ever played against me in basketball will attest to this, is my mouth. I can find a weak link. I can talk the other team into over-bidding and getting set, or getting them to maybe not actually counting as many books as they actually have. I'm a pretty good trash talker when it comes to spades."
A three-year team captain, Williams finished his career with 1,005 points and 136 steals — good for 13th in Wake Forest history.
Deacon Sports Extra caught up with Williams on his visit last weekend for the Skip Prosser Classic win over Xavier.
Have you had a chance to visit the new Shah Basketball Complex?
Williams: "There was zero chance that was going to come to Winston, and not get in a workout in that facility. College basketball players, getting us to go to class sometimes is tough, but having a place to practice basketball, a place to rest and get food — it would have been tough getting us out of that place. To be able to see the finished product, and what those guys get to be around every day — it would have been pulling teeth to get us out of there, I can tell you that. Facilities are a big thing now. It's all about who has the best gidgets and gadgets in their locker room. Who has the best uniform and the best gear? That matters to kids. For us to be able to close that gap, in terms of having great facilities, helps us when kids get on campus. You can sell the people, the facilities and the experience you will have at Wake Forest."
You earned All-ACC Defensive honors two years in a row, in 2009 and 2010. What does it take to be an elite defender in the ACC?
Williams: "You just have to have a lot of pride. You have to go out there every night knowing the guy in front of you that you're guarding is going to be basically the best you've ever played against. You have pride in working to take that guy out of the game. For me, coming to Wake Forest, I had a knack for playing defense. My high school coaches emphasized defense. On the AAU circuit, that's how I got on the floor, playing alongside three All-Americans. I had to guard the other teams' best player. I knew coming to Wake, I was going to have to do something that stood out when I got there as a freshman. I honestly thought my offensive leash would be a little bit longer because of how much work I put into playing defense."
Defense isn't considered a flashy skill, but dunking is. You were considered a prolific dunker. How did you develop that skill?
Williams: "The crazy thing is that I had to learn how to finish. I was so athletic, but was so thin-framed when I got to Wake Forest. Instead of going over the top and using my body and shoulders to finish over guys through contact, I tried to jump as high as I could to avoid contact. I really had to work on that."
"Because you're a good defender, a lot of times you're at the top of the zone or at the top of the key. Whenever deflections or steals happen, you're the first guy out in transition. I was fortunate enough to play with really unselfish guys who liked to see me do my thing on the break. I knew defense created offense for me. Getting out on the break and finishing on the break over guys, and getting in the lane — it really made the game easy for me. I really had to just do three things: I had to defend at a high level, make mid-range jumpers and get out on the break and finish. That was easy. I could do that for 32 minutes a game."
What was the biggest lesson you learned while at Wake Forest?
Williams: "Just the people. There's not many colleges that can provide what Wake Forest does in terms of relational wealth. In saying that, I mean the people actually care about you. There are so many people at the game Saturday, who I had to make sure I walked around to see. There were so many people on campus that made it easy to be a student-athlete at Wake Forest. They held us accountable not only for going on the court every night and performing, but also for showing up the next day in the classroom and performing at a high level there in the same way. We all talk about is as players who were at Wake, but make sure you keep Ms. (Jane) Caldwell happy. Jane Caldwell, the academic advisor is really the key to your success. Jane Caldwell and Greg Collins (Assistant AD, Sports Medicine) are the two MVPs of Wake Forest basketball.
When was your high last high-level game of spades?
Williams: "Oh my goodness. Actually over Thanksgiving. I'm good friends with Jared Sullinger and his family. I went over there for Thanksgiving, and his mother-in-law is probably my biggest rival right now. I couldn't let her leave town without getting after her a little bit in a game of spades. I went over there after I had Thanksgiving with my family and had to throw down with some spades.
"My biggest attribute in spades, and anybody who ever played against me in basketball will attest to this, is my mouth. I can find a weak link. I can talk the other team into over-bidding and getting set, or getting them to maybe not actually counting as many books as they actually have. I'm a pretty good trash talker when it comes to spades."
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