Around the News Wire: A Great Read

In my lifetime as a Louisville basketball fan, I'd be hard-pressed to say that there has been a player that I have loved quite as much as Terrence Williams.

The guy has it all: he can ball, he's a likable guy with an eccentric personality, and alas, he actually stayed all four years in college (GASP!).

He really reached the national stage, albeit three years too late, last year with a fantastic year that got him Third-Team All-America honors while helping lead Louisville to the Big East regular season title, the Big East Tournament title, and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

All of this effort culminated with the man fondly known as T-Will being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets.



Somehow, though, some people seemed to get the wrong impression about Williams; I would hear pundits talk about his supposed "character issues" and would hear people blast him, calling him a "loud-mouth", "a punk", and really anything in between.

It honestly doesn't surprise me that some people would misinterpret Williams' tattoos and affable personality as being some sort of inherent moral flaw, especially in a country where we worship the No Fun League.

My dad told me about a story in The New York Times today about the Nets' rookie.

Granted, it's a story about his sick house with a killer view of Manhattan, but there really isn't much detail about the house itself in the piece.

Rather, it focuses on Williams' journey and how he got to where he is today: how his father was killed when he was 6, how he grew up in poverty in Seattle, with everything giving you true insights to what made T-Will into who he is today (a guy who recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds in his first career NBA game).

An excellent read, whether you're a Louisville fan or not, or whether you love him or have that impression that he's some loud-mouthed, cockey S.O.B. Maybe your mind may just be changed.