It’s hard for Shelden Williams to believe the last time the Duke appeared in the Final Four, he was on the court.

Williams battled four years at Duke

In 2004 the Blue Devils suffered a one-point loss to the University of Connecticut Huskies, who went on to win it all. Since then, the team had not been able to make it past the Sweet Sixteen. (Interestingly enough, Williams and the Blue Devils were eliminated by Glen Davis and the LSU Tigers in 2006.) But that all changed this season.

Six years later, Williams watched Duke defeat Baylor in the Elite Eight prior to the Celtics-Spurs game. (He even boasted when the Blue Devils drained back-to-back 3-pointers.) The top-seeded Blue Devils will face the second-ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia on Saturday in a Final Four match up. It has been a long wait for Williams, who is happy to see his alma mater just one game away from the championship battle.

What was it like watching Duke advance to the Final Four?

“It’s great. It’s kind of strange that this is the first time that we’ve been back to the Final Four since my team in ‘04. It’s been kind of crazy, but actually this year has been amazing for college basketball fans to watch. This tournament has been unbelievable with underdog teams and powerhouse teams, you never know what to expect. If you had tried to tell me after being in the tournament that a fifth seed, a fifth seed, and only one one-seed would make it, that’s crazy.”

Why do you think the Blue Devils could win it all this year?

“Everybody on that team is playing their role. Nobody’s getting out of hands with things, nobody’s trying to doing more than what they can do. I think just everybody is playing their role and playing off of each other well. I think that’s a great thing for them to do. Whether they’re not shooting well, like [Sunday], (Kyle) Singler was 0-for-10, he’s one of the top scorers if not the top scorer on the team, and they still managed to find a way to win. That says a lot.”

Even though you are in the NBA now, what do you miss the most about playing in the NCAA Tournament?

“Just how much every game means to you, how much the atmosphere comes into play, everybody is into it whether they love you or hate you. Basketball is like king and everything else is secondary. It’s one of the best feelings to be part of.”

For more on Williams career at Duke, where he graduated as the school’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots, check out WEEI.com’s Inside the Game series.

6 Comments for “Williams happy to see Duke return to Final Four”

1. weezie Says:
   March 30th, 2010 at 7:53 am

   Love you Shelden! Wish we had you for Indy.
   Keep making us proud!

2. Cam's Dad Says:
   March 30th, 2010 at 9:17 am

   Shelden, we’d love to have you back at Duke to help out in the paint, lol. You, the Plumlees and big Z couldn’t ever be stopped!!!!

   GO DUKE, 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!

3. Lil Says:
   March 30th, 2010 at 12:08 pm

   When will Doc Rivers wake up and start taking advantage of our skilled Shelden?!

4. KobeWearsAPurpleThong Says:
   March 30th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

   Co-sign what Lil said. Big fan of Shelden. Duke, not so much…lol

5. Arivers Says:
   March 30th, 2010 at 4:04 pm

   Maybe he will start using Shelden more once his son attends Duke?

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