Roy Williams on Zion Williamson: 'Name Somebody Else That's Got the Skill Set That He Has'
North Carolina coach Roy Williams had high praise for Duke's Zion Williamson on Tuesday as he spoke to reporters before his No. 8 Tar Heels take on the No. 1 Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Williams said he had never seen a college talent like Zion.
"Name somebody else that's got the skill set that he has," Williams asked reporters. "Because in the college game, I've never seen it. Everybody will say, 'Well, what about LeBron?' Listen to what I said. LeBron never played in college. I've never seen anything like that."
Williamson has been compared to LeBron James before by both fans and NBA names alike. James has also come to watch Williamson and offered his own words of praise for the freshman phenom's abilities.
When asked about what Williamson brings to the game that may elevate the stakes during Wednesday night's Tobacco Road rivalry game, Williams told reporters that while Zion brings an added spectacle, it's still Duke vs. North Carolina at the end of the day.
"Zion's a different bird, there's no question about that. We tried to recruit him very, very hard. He's got a combination of skill set that I've never seen before," Williams said. "There's a lot of attention but he deserves it–he's backed it up. He's been pretty good. From that point, it may be a little more but it's still Duke-North Carolina. Very seldom do I think I've seen any team that people will think probably has three of the top four or five picks off of one team so it's up there in the stratosphere. But it's still Duke and North Carolina so it's pretty high all the time."
Williams lost a recruiting battle for Williamson to Mike Krzyzewski last year when Williamson committed to the Blue Devils over UNC, Clemson and Kentucky.
His own freshman stars, Coby White and Nassir Little, will face off against Williamson and Duke's Tre Jones, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish on Wednesday night in the first of the rivals' two meetings this season.
Tip off is set for 9 p.m. ET.
