Wake Forest Athletics
Williams Enjoys Chance to Return to LJVM Coliseum
12/19/2019 3:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
Sitting courtside prior to the tip of the Skip Prosser Classic Saturday, Wake Forest great Eric Williams nearly fell out of his chair when asked about the new Shah Basketball Complex.
"I'm happy for my team and I'm happy for my school," Williams said with a huge smile. "The place is beautiful. I'm kinda upset I didn't have something like that when I was here. That place is amazing.
"If they let me come back and use the facility anytime, that's great. But, as it stands now I'm a little upset. It's cool. I'm glad they have it and I'm glad Wake was able to get into the modern age. That will help with recruits."
Williams (2002-06), the No. 13 all-time scorer in Wake Forest history, was back at LJVM Coliseum Saturday for the seventh installment of the Skip Prosser Classic against Xavier, a series devised to honor the legacy of the late head coach of both schools.
"This is major," Williams said. "It's always good to come back, but I haven't had a chance to, when I was playing overseas, to come for a Skip Prosser game. It's a good feeling, and it's great to be a part of it."
Williams was a four-year starter for Prosser, who averaged more than 16.0 points and eight rebounds a game as a junior and senior. He scored 1,738 points and grabbed 858 rebounds — good for seventh all time at Wake Forest. Williams earned second team All-ACC honors and AP All-American Honorable Mention as a junior.
He's played for 13 different teams all across the world since graduating from Wake Forest.
"Italy is my favorite. I played there seven years," Williams said. "I've been to France, Poland, Russia, China and Uruguay. I've been to a lot of places. Taking in the different cultures is quite an experience, and getting feel for their style of basketball and the different atmospheres. It was fun."
Playing in different countries for more than a decade took some getting used to, Williams said. Initially, it was the little things that were problematic.
"My first few years, I was a trainwreck," he said. "I wanted to come home. My satellite wasn't working, and nobody was speaking English. I was freaking out. It's important to be around veteran American players who can walk you through it. I was lucky enough to play with veteran players every year until I was a vet myself.
"There were a lot of ACC players from my generation over there. There were Virginia, Duke and North Carolina players over there, and all the sudden it wasn't a rivalry anymore — we were a band of brothers in a foreign world. When you're over there, you become friends with guys you would normally be rivals with, so that was a good part."
If Williams has his way, we'll be seeing much more of him in the coming years. He's putting together a basketball training program. Though he lives in Raleigh for now, he wants to return to Winston-Salem as he gets his business going.
"I'm trying to give back and share the things I know both on and off the court," Williams said. "I want to help kids get ready for whatever level comes next for them."
"I'm happy for my team and I'm happy for my school," Williams said with a huge smile. "The place is beautiful. I'm kinda upset I didn't have something like that when I was here. That place is amazing.
"If they let me come back and use the facility anytime, that's great. But, as it stands now I'm a little upset. It's cool. I'm glad they have it and I'm glad Wake was able to get into the modern age. That will help with recruits."
Williams (2002-06), the No. 13 all-time scorer in Wake Forest history, was back at LJVM Coliseum Saturday for the seventh installment of the Skip Prosser Classic against Xavier, a series devised to honor the legacy of the late head coach of both schools.
"This is major," Williams said. "It's always good to come back, but I haven't had a chance to, when I was playing overseas, to come for a Skip Prosser game. It's a good feeling, and it's great to be a part of it."
Williams was a four-year starter for Prosser, who averaged more than 16.0 points and eight rebounds a game as a junior and senior. He scored 1,738 points and grabbed 858 rebounds — good for seventh all time at Wake Forest. Williams earned second team All-ACC honors and AP All-American Honorable Mention as a junior.
He's played for 13 different teams all across the world since graduating from Wake Forest.
"Italy is my favorite. I played there seven years," Williams said. "I've been to France, Poland, Russia, China and Uruguay. I've been to a lot of places. Taking in the different cultures is quite an experience, and getting feel for their style of basketball and the different atmospheres. It was fun."
Playing in different countries for more than a decade took some getting used to, Williams said. Initially, it was the little things that were problematic.
"My first few years, I was a trainwreck," he said. "I wanted to come home. My satellite wasn't working, and nobody was speaking English. I was freaking out. It's important to be around veteran American players who can walk you through it. I was lucky enough to play with veteran players every year until I was a vet myself.
"There were a lot of ACC players from my generation over there. There were Virginia, Duke and North Carolina players over there, and all the sudden it wasn't a rivalry anymore — we were a band of brothers in a foreign world. When you're over there, you become friends with guys you would normally be rivals with, so that was a good part."
If Williams has his way, we'll be seeing much more of him in the coming years. He's putting together a basketball training program. Though he lives in Raleigh for now, he wants to return to Winston-Salem as he gets his business going.
"I'm trying to give back and share the things I know both on and off the court," Williams said. "I want to help kids get ready for whatever level comes next for them."
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