Eric Williams vs the World

When Eric Williams scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Charlotte’s Sean May in Orlando, it shouldn’t have surprised anyone…certainly not anyone who watched Williams go up against the better big men in the ACC and other Southern conferences.

As Charlie Brown of basketballboards.net points out, Williams had a solid college record of playing well against players who, unlike him, were later drafted by NBA teams, including first-round picks Sean May of North Carolina, Shelden Williams of Duke, and Cedric Simmons of Clemson. He also did well against the much touted Alexander Johnson of Florida State, taken in the second round.

Career stats show Williams more than held his own against them all, perhaps as a result of his great size and long arms (a 7'4" wingspan). Before this past season, he also had another advantage: playing with Chris Paul!

In six games against Shelden Williams, Eric Williams averaged 14.2 ppg and 9.7 rpg while the Duke star, taken at #5 this year, averaged 14.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg.

In six games against Simmons, taken at #15, Eric Williams fared even better. He averaged 17.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg while Simmons came up with only 4.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg. Finally, Johnson averaged 8.5 ppg and 4.4 rpg against Williams’ 13.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg, again in six games.

And before May joined the Bobcats, he and Williams squared off twice, with Williams averaging 16 ppg and 7.5 rpg while May went for 12.0 and 10.0 rpg. He did well against Tyler Hansborough, May's successor at Chapel Hill, and a projected lottery pick next June.

Here’s the game-by-game breakdown:

Wake - Duke - 2006 [Cameron]

Eric Williams, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block.
Shelden Williams, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block.

Wake - NC State – 2006 [Raleigh]

Eric Williams, 19 points, 8 rebounds.
Cedric Simmons, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block.

Wake - FSU - 2006 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 12 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block.
Alexander Johnson, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block.

Wake – Duke - 2006 [Cameron]

Eric Williams, 17 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks
Shelden Williams, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks.

Wake – UNC - 2006 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 19 points, 8 rebounds.
Tyler Hansborough, 17 points, 6 rebounds.

Wake - NCST - 2006 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 22 points, 16 rebounds.
Cedric Simmons, 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks.

Wake - FSU – 2006 [ACC Tourney]

Eric Williams, 14 points, 9 rebounds
Alexander Johnson, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks

Wake - NC State – 2006 [ACC Tourney]

Eric Williams, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Cedric Simmons, 4 points, 0 rebounds, 1 block

Wake - Duke – 2005 [Cameron]

Eric Williams, 10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Shelden Williams, 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

Wake - NC State – 2005 [ACC Tourney]

Eric Williams, 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Cedric Simmons, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block

Wake - NC State 2005 [Raleigh]

Eric Williams, 11 points, 7 rebounds
Cedric Simmons, 0 points, 0 rebounds

Wake - FSU 2005 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 15 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block
Alexander Johnson, 3 points, 5 rebounds

Wake – NCSU 2005 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
Cedric Simmons, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks

Wake - Duke 2005 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 19 points., 13 rebounds, 2 blocks
Shelden Williams, 16 points., 12 rebounds, 4 blocks

Wake - FSU 2005 [Tallahassee]

Eric Williams, 18 points. (rebound stats unavailable)
Alexander Johnson, 4 points.

Wake - FSU 2004 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 10 points, 4 rebounds
Alexander Johnson, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block

Wake - UNC 2005 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 8 points., 7 rebounds
Sean May, 9 points., 9 rebounds

Wake - Duke 2004 [LJVM]

Eric Williams, 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Shelden Williams, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block

Wake - Duke 2004 [Cameron]

Eric Williams, 6 points, 5 rebounds.
Shelden Williams, 16 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks

Wake - FSU 2004 [Tallahassee]

Eric Williams, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block
Alexander Johnson, 7 points, 2 rebounds

Wake - UNC 2003 [Dean Dome]

Eric Williams, 24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
Sean May, 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks

So what's his status after a solid summer league? The Nets contacted Williams' agent, Juan Davis, the morning after the draft and told him they were interested in signing his client. By that afternoon, the deal was done. Williams has a contract that will pay him $412,000 if he makes the Nets in training camp.

"He's really happy about it," Davis told the Winston Salem Journal, Williams hometown paper. "It's the same money as a second-rounder, as long as he makes the team. Second round and undrafted get the same amount of money. He's going to a place where he's wanted and where he has a good chance to make the roster. He has family up in the New York and New Jersey area, and it's on the East Coast."

But will he show up in training camp? Ed Stefanski says he's not sure. Talking to reporters Thursday, the Nets GM said, "He is not committed to coming to our camp. I talked to his agent and his agent hasn’t given us any commitment at all. "

Maybe Williams understands how crowded the Nets frontcourt is rapidly filling up.