Wake Forest Athletics
Williamson Excelling with Demon Deacons Under Forbes
2/10/2021 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
Just a little more than a year ago, on Saturday, Feb. 1, Daivien Williamson got his first start of the season for coach Steve Forbes at East Tennessee State. It initiated a 12-game winning streak for the Buccaneers, culminating in a Southern Conference Tournament Championship and the NCAA Tournament automatic bid that goes along with it.
A lot has happened since then. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was nixed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Forbes was formally introduced as the new coach at Wake Forest on May 1 and then Williamson announced his decision to follow Forbes less than a month later.
Williamson now leads the Demon Deacons this season in minutes played, scoring, assists and steals.
Although the conference, uniform colors and home addresses have all quickly changed, one thing remains constant — the love and respect Forbes and Williamson have for each other.
Of course, being inserted into the starting lineup with just 12 games remaining, means Williamson didn't start for the first 22, largely because Forbes didn't believe he had been playing to his potential.
"A year ago in October, I thought he had a chance to be our (ETSU) best player," Forbes said. "We had a loaded team, and as the season started, I didn't see that. He wasn't aggressive, he wasn't making plays, and he went to the bench."
A 71-55 home loss to Mercer, who finished 17-15 last season, pushed Forbes to look for answers and he turned to Williamson.
"Last year in my sophomore season, I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year," Williamson said. "We lost at home to Mercer, then he put me in the starting lineup for the last 12 games of the season and we finished 12-0.
"I wasn't being as aggressive as I should have been. I wasn't being myself. Forbes told me I was being too passive. I was overthinking things. That's something I don't usually do. Once I settled in, became myself again and just went out there and played, that's when things turned around for me. He put me in the starting lineup and things went well."
Williamson led the Buccaneers in scoring in the first two games of the SoCon Tournament while going a combined 12-for-14 from the field. Forbes said he was likely on track to be the tournament MVP until Isaiah Tisdale scored 24 in the championship game for ETSU.
"It was amazing," Williamson said about the end-of-season run. "There were some tough games. The SoCon is no joke. We had to put our best foot forward every single night. It was definitely fun. There were bumps in the road, but we made it work."
After Forbes took the job at Wake Forest, Williamson entered the transfer portal and considered the Deacs along with a handful of other potential landing spots.
"I wasn't 100 percent sure I should bring him here, only because I wasn't sure if the ACC was the right place for him," Forbes said. "When he decided to leave, coach (BJ) McKie and coach (Brooks) Savage pushed for me to bring him on not just because he's a good player, but because of culture and knowing what we want.
"I wanted him to be successful and wanted him to have a great experience. I wasn't sure, especially with Covid and not having the chance to work out with the team and build chemistry. He's been a life preserver for me."
Despite averaging 23.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals as a senior at Winston-Salem Prep, Williamson had just one in-state scholarship offer — from Kevin Keatts at UNC-Wilmington, who had just left to become the new coach at NC State, so he effectively had zero. The chance to show he belonged in the mix against the players at the ACC level was a big attraction for Williamson.
"At the end of the day, I'm always going to bet on myself," he said. "I believe in the work I put in during the offseason. I wanted to challenge myself to play against some of the best college basketball players, and that went into the decision."
More than halfway through the ACC slate, it's clear Williamson has proven he belongs in the conference. He's on the conference leaderboard in scoring and assists and is sixth in the ACC in steals. He set a career high with 27 points at the Dean Smith Center against North Carolina.
"It feels good," Williamson said. "A lot of people were skeptical of me coming to the ACC. This is big-boy basketball here. This is one of the closest conferences to the NBA. A lot of the guys I play against will be in the NBA. But I'm always going to bet on myself. I believed I could play in the ACC, which is why I came to Wake Forest.
"It feels good to prove that I belong here, but I don't really pay attention to the people who don't believe in me. I just go out there, play with confidence and believe in myself."
Then there's the added benefit to Williamson of going to school and playing in Winston-Salem, where his family can be there to watch him every step of the way. Although there have only been limited fans allowed at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season, his parents, grandmother, old brothers and aunt have all been in attendance to watch him play.
"The most life-changing thing for him is that we're in Winston-Salem," Forbes said. "He gets a degree from Wake Forest. I love him as a person, more than a player. When he's done playing, he's going to have a great life. He's going to have a Wake Forest degree and he's going to be living in Winston-Salem.
"I'm not going to say I saw this coming. I did see it in his heart. As hard as we practice and as competitive as he is, he's never missed a practice in three years. I've never had a player do that. He's an impressive young man and I think the world of him."
As the team got together late in the summer, Williamson was the only player on the roster who knew what it was like to play for Forbes — the only way who understood the culture, and what is demanded each day in practice and in the games. So that often means when things go awry, it's Williamson who gets the brunt of the coaching from the staff.
"I do feel the love," Williamson said. "I know when he gets on me, it's because he loves me and cares about me. I don't take it personally. He knows how good I can be and what I'm capable of, so when he gets on me —at the end of the day, he wants to get the best out of me.
"I appreciate that. He's going to demand the best out of me every day. Him pushing me like that is only going to help me as a player and a person."
A lot has happened since then. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was nixed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Forbes was formally introduced as the new coach at Wake Forest on May 1 and then Williamson announced his decision to follow Forbes less than a month later.
Williamson now leads the Demon Deacons this season in minutes played, scoring, assists and steals.
Although the conference, uniform colors and home addresses have all quickly changed, one thing remains constant — the love and respect Forbes and Williamson have for each other.
Of course, being inserted into the starting lineup with just 12 games remaining, means Williamson didn't start for the first 22, largely because Forbes didn't believe he had been playing to his potential.
"A year ago in October, I thought he had a chance to be our (ETSU) best player," Forbes said. "We had a loaded team, and as the season started, I didn't see that. He wasn't aggressive, he wasn't making plays, and he went to the bench."
A 71-55 home loss to Mercer, who finished 17-15 last season, pushed Forbes to look for answers and he turned to Williamson.
"Last year in my sophomore season, I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year," Williamson said. "We lost at home to Mercer, then he put me in the starting lineup for the last 12 games of the season and we finished 12-0.
"I wasn't being as aggressive as I should have been. I wasn't being myself. Forbes told me I was being too passive. I was overthinking things. That's something I don't usually do. Once I settled in, became myself again and just went out there and played, that's when things turned around for me. He put me in the starting lineup and things went well."
Williamson led the Buccaneers in scoring in the first two games of the SoCon Tournament while going a combined 12-for-14 from the field. Forbes said he was likely on track to be the tournament MVP until Isaiah Tisdale scored 24 in the championship game for ETSU.
"It was amazing," Williamson said about the end-of-season run. "There were some tough games. The SoCon is no joke. We had to put our best foot forward every single night. It was definitely fun. There were bumps in the road, but we made it work."
After Forbes took the job at Wake Forest, Williamson entered the transfer portal and considered the Deacs along with a handful of other potential landing spots.
"I wasn't 100 percent sure I should bring him here, only because I wasn't sure if the ACC was the right place for him," Forbes said. "When he decided to leave, coach (BJ) McKie and coach (Brooks) Savage pushed for me to bring him on not just because he's a good player, but because of culture and knowing what we want.
"I wanted him to be successful and wanted him to have a great experience. I wasn't sure, especially with Covid and not having the chance to work out with the team and build chemistry. He's been a life preserver for me."
Despite averaging 23.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals as a senior at Winston-Salem Prep, Williamson had just one in-state scholarship offer — from Kevin Keatts at UNC-Wilmington, who had just left to become the new coach at NC State, so he effectively had zero. The chance to show he belonged in the mix against the players at the ACC level was a big attraction for Williamson.
"At the end of the day, I'm always going to bet on myself," he said. "I believe in the work I put in during the offseason. I wanted to challenge myself to play against some of the best college basketball players, and that went into the decision."
More than halfway through the ACC slate, it's clear Williamson has proven he belongs in the conference. He's on the conference leaderboard in scoring and assists and is sixth in the ACC in steals. He set a career high with 27 points at the Dean Smith Center against North Carolina.
"It feels good," Williamson said. "A lot of people were skeptical of me coming to the ACC. This is big-boy basketball here. This is one of the closest conferences to the NBA. A lot of the guys I play against will be in the NBA. But I'm always going to bet on myself. I believed I could play in the ACC, which is why I came to Wake Forest.
"It feels good to prove that I belong here, but I don't really pay attention to the people who don't believe in me. I just go out there, play with confidence and believe in myself."
Then there's the added benefit to Williamson of going to school and playing in Winston-Salem, where his family can be there to watch him every step of the way. Although there have only been limited fans allowed at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season, his parents, grandmother, old brothers and aunt have all been in attendance to watch him play.
"The most life-changing thing for him is that we're in Winston-Salem," Forbes said. "He gets a degree from Wake Forest. I love him as a person, more than a player. When he's done playing, he's going to have a great life. He's going to have a Wake Forest degree and he's going to be living in Winston-Salem.
"I'm not going to say I saw this coming. I did see it in his heart. As hard as we practice and as competitive as he is, he's never missed a practice in three years. I've never had a player do that. He's an impressive young man and I think the world of him."
As the team got together late in the summer, Williamson was the only player on the roster who knew what it was like to play for Forbes — the only way who understood the culture, and what is demanded each day in practice and in the games. So that often means when things go awry, it's Williamson who gets the brunt of the coaching from the staff.
"I do feel the love," Williamson said. "I know when he gets on me, it's because he loves me and cares about me. I don't take it personally. He knows how good I can be and what I'm capable of, so when he gets on me —at the end of the day, he wants to get the best out of me.
"I appreciate that. He's going to demand the best out of me every day. Him pushing me like that is only going to help me as a player and a person."
Players Mentioned
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