Williams declares for draft, will leave Duke
After sparking Blue Devils to Final Four, Virginia Beach native in process of hiring agent
Duke’s Mark Williams, the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year, who helped the Blue Devils reach the Final Four, on Tuesday announced he would turn pro and declare for the NBA Draft.
Williams, a 7-foot-1 sophomore center and Virginia Beach native who starred for Norfolk Academy, averaged 13.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots during the NCAA Tournament.
“Playing the NBA has always been a dream of mine,” Williams said during a video posted on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. “Duke has prepared me to take this next step and I’m excited to announce I’ll be declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.”
A story on the Duke Athletics site said Williams was in the process
of hiring an agent — which would make him ineligible to return to college competition.
Williams finished the season with averages of 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game for a Blue Devils team that finished 32-7 in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season. Duke was the ACC regular-season champion.
Williams led the ACC and ranked 12th in the NCAA in blocked shots per game, and his 110 total blocks were fifth nationally. He and Sheldon Williams are the only Duke players to record more than 100 blocks in a season.
“Mark was a joy to coach,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “This is such a special moment for him and his incredible family, and we will miss having the Williamses in our program. Mark was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best shot blockers in the country, but that doesn’t tell the entire story about the type of player he is. He is gifted at both ends of the floor and is driven to get even better every day. The NBA team that drafts Mark is obviously getting a talented player, but an equally impressive young man off the court that will represent their organization with class. I cannot wait to watch him at the next level.”
Williams will join his sister Elizabeth, a former star for
Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach, in the pro ranks.
Elizabeth Williams, who also starred at Duke, was drafted fourth overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2015.
She has played the past six seasons for the Atlanta Dream and is heading into her first season with the Washington Mystics.