SAN ANTONIO - How do you stop North Carolina's Shammond Williams? So many basketball coaches asked themselves that question this season and so few conceived an adequate response. Utah's Rick Majerus got it right, though: You play him in the Final Four.
Shammond Williams, 1995, Seattle: 0-for-0, zero points in a loss to Arkansas.
Shammond Williams, 1997, Indianapolis: 1-for-13, three points in a loss to Arizona.
Shammond Williams, 1998, San Antonio: 2-of-12, seven points in a 65-59 loss to Utah at the Alamodome Saturday night.
This is no place for him to play.
''I would have wanted to knock down a bit more shots than I was able to today,'' Williams said. ''They had a guy on me the whole time.'' Williams entered the game with a 17-point average and a knack for destroying defenses consumed with stopping Heels All-Americans Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter.
As important as those players had been to top-ranked North Carolina's success, Utah coach Rick Majerus noticed it was Williams who made the biggest baskets in the Heels' most competitive games: 19 points against Connecticut in the East Regional final, 32 in a narrow second-round win against UNC Charlotte, 25 in an overtime win against Maryland in the ACC tournament.
''I saw three or four different guys through the night,'' Williams said. ''They'd run somebody at me whenever I was open. When I tried to penetrate, they tried to trap me. If I was able to get past one guy, there was another. It was kind of a compliment.''
Williams is dangerous because of his ability to shoot quickly and to create opportunities with the dribble, but about all he was able to contribute to the offense were five assists.
He grew so tired and so reticent about whether to shoot, that even when left open he double-clutched and caused himself to miss. Williams was 1-of-9 from three-point range, and nearly all the errant atempts caught some portion of the front rim.
Today's NCAA coverage
Utah-Kentucky unlikely final
Kentucky 86, Stanford 85
All Stanford was missing was Sheppard Paul Daugherty column
Sheppard saves day for UK
Turner happy to get the win
UK victory thrills fans
UK Notes
Utah 65, North Carolina 59
Miller stops Heels in tracks
Final Four jinx gets Williams
Utah/UNC Notes
NCAA coverage from Associated Press
