The Chronicle

Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: M Basketball
Last update: 1/28/08 at 7:40 AM EST

Media Credit: Jianghai Ho Shelden Williams

Media Credit: Chronicle file photo Candace Parker

Andrew Yaffe: The Tennessee women are coming to Duke tonight. Who will you be rooting for?

Shelden Williams: Anytime my fiancée [Candace Parker] plays, I gotta root for her. I root for Duke, but I also root for my fiancée.

AY: How difficult is it to have both you and Candace traveling all the time?

SW: It's a little bit more challenging this year as opposed to last year. We saw each other once every week and a half. This year, we've done a good job of seeing each other when we can. It's just a matter of time. I'm on a West Coast trip, so it's been tough. The way things work out, I won't be able to see her as much as last year, when I got to see some of her big games.

AY: How would you say your second year with the Atlanta Hawks is going?

SW: We're trying to make the playoffs. We had a good run in the first half and hope to get back on the same track in the second half of the season...It could go better, but I'm doing things to keep positive and help my team out in the best way I can.

AY: What has been the biggest adjustment from Year One to Year Two?

SW: I've been through all the stuff, know what to expect with different arenas, different referees-that's one of the biggest positives right there. I'm not as wide-eyed.

AY: What do you think about this year's Duke squad?

SW: I've seen I'd say maybe six or seven of their games. They're playing well right now, had a big win against Florida State. I got to see Clemson. They're playing really well lately, playing team basketball, playing together right now.

AY: Is it weird to watch a Duke team with no real post presence?

SW: It is kind of weird. They're playing a different way and a different style, not a totally different style, but they don't have a lot of half-court sets to get the ball inside. The way Coach K manages the players, they've done an excellent job.

AY: You played against Tyler Hansbrough. Do you think this year's Duke team has the ability to control him?

SW: I think we have enough big guys to control him. The problem is not with him, the problem is the guys around him. If they can do a good job on everyone else, they can come out with a win.

AY: When you play the Raptors, is there a little more trash talk between you and her brother, Anthony Parker?

SW: No, any time I go up there or he comes down here, we go to each others' houses and spend time with each other and with the families. We kid around a lot of times. On the court we're all business, taking care of our jobs, but off the court we're always joking around with each other.

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