2003 Top 50 List: No
Dan Collins List: No
Do you remember how good Walt Williams was? He was the only reason to watch those early Gary Williams teams. His 1992 season was truly incredible. Only the greatness of Christian Laettner kept Williams from being ACC Player of the Year, and even then, he still got 23 votes. Think about that – here’s a guy on a team that finished next-to-last in the ACC up against one of the greatest players in the history of college basketball – and 23 voters said Williams was better. He just missed being first team All-America, finishing 6th in AP voting.
On the year, Williams averaged 26.8 PPG, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Try to find another season in which a major conference player averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. I couldn’t. And lest you think he piled up those points against inferior non-conference teams, he averaged 29.6 in ACC games. In fact, he still holds the record for most points scored in a season in ACC games. He had some absolutely monster games that year, including seven straight 30-point games against ACC teams and a 38-point, 14-rebound performance in the ACC Tournament opener against Clemson. And this wasn’t “volume scoring” – he shot 55% from two, 37% from three, and 76% from the line for a True Shooting Percentage of 59.5%.
But it wasn’t just that season. He was playing at a very high level in 1991 when he broke his leg and missed most of the ACC season. He probably would have been first team All-ACC had he stayed healthy.
There are a handful of Top 100 candidates whose career trajectories were affected by injuries. JR Reid comes to mind. Doug Moe missed a bunch of games as a junior, but that was due to academic problems. Bobby Hurley missed some games as a junior, and maybe that kept him off first team All-ACC. James Worthy, Sean May, and Elton Brand missed a lot of time early in their careers. But nobody was affected more than Williams. I thought a lot about how to handle that in compiling the list. On the one hand, it doesn’t seem right to give a guy credit for games he didn’t play. While I think he would have been All-ACC as a junior, the fact is that he wasn’t.
On the other hand, I feel like some sort of credit should be given for being a great player, even if circumstances prevent you from being in the lineup. To borrow a line from Bill James, I’m not giving him credit for what he might have been; I’m giving him credit for what he was. Walt Williams was a great player in 1991. It’s too bad he didn’t get more opportunities to show it.
I would also argue that there is a hangover effect from that in terms of recognition. Because Williams got hurt in 1991, he didn’t make All-anything. And because he didn’t make All-anything, he wasn’t on anybody’s radar screen nationally going into 1992, and didn’t get the hype. And there is no question but that preseason hype has a carryover effect in terms of getting end-of-season recognition. So I’m suggesting that Williams’ injury in 1991 indirectly kept him from making first team All-American in 1992.
To support that point, here is the balloting for AP preseason All-America going into the 1992 season (65-member panel):
- Shaquille O’Neal – 64
- Christian Laettner – 61
- Jimmy Jackson – 52
- Calbert Cheaney – 23
- Lee Mayberry – 20
- Todd Day – 15
- Harold Miner – 14
- Alonzo Mourning – 14
- Allan Houston – 12
- Byron Houston – 11
- Clarence Weatherspoon – 7
- Terry Dehere, Bobby Hurley, Don MacLean, Malik Sealy – 6
- Walt Williams, Josh Grant, Chris Smith – 2
The eventual first team, in order of votes, was Laettner, O’Neal, Jackson, Miner, and Mourning; second team was Williams, Houston, MacLean, Anthony Peeler, and Adam Keefe. I’m not taking away from how good Harold Miner was, but I think Walt Williams had a better year than he did.
Maybe I’m voting with my heart here instead of my head. Williams’ magical year was my senior year in high school, and I remember it fondly. But it’s my list, and I think Williams belongs on it.