While the rest of the Louisville basketball team is assembling on campus and taking the initial steps of a journey that will hopefully come to an end in Detroit next March, Terrence Williams is in Akron at the already prestigious Lebron James Skills Academy.
There, T-Will has been taking part in the usual activities that go on at these camps, working on his game, socializing with other campers, beating Lebron James and Chris Paul at basketball, all that jazz.
Williams and a team made up of Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, Mississippi State monster Jarvis Varnado, Arkansas' Patrick Beverley, and California bow-tie enthusiast Patrick Christopher played pickup games with a group that included James, Paul and former Kansas standout Darnell Jackson, and somehow managed to go 2-2.
Afterwards, Williams spoke with Gary Parrish and was uncharacteristically enthusiastic.
"That was like the greatest experience of my life," Williams said, and he was not exaggerating.
It was funny, actually, listening to Williams talk about spending most of the night guarding James because the
star is a fully grown man with a tough-guy persona who sounded like a little kid when the conversation turned toward this subject. He called James "his favorite player ever" and explained how he was unsure whether to really get up on his idol or treat him like King James, and Williams still doesn't know what to make of the possession where he blocked James' shot. Louisville "When I blocked that shot I started thinking," Williams said. "I was like, 'Do I really brag about blocking LeBron James' shot? And if I tell my friends, will anybody even believe me?'"
(Note to T-Will's friends: If he brags about it, know he's telling the truth. I saw it.)
(Note to Nike: Does that make me a Witness?)
Not to take anything away from T-Will, but in my freshman year of college there was a kid on my floor who had blocked Lebron's shot in high school, and had a picture of it from the local newspaper framed on his desk. His NBA career did not pan out. He did, however, drink a lot and get really fat.
Dream big, kids.