ESPN’s Jay Williams put himself in a tough spot Tuesday night during a game, and the more he talked, the deeper he dug the hole.
To make matters even worse, broadcast partner Jon Sciambi put him in the hilarious predicament, and laughed as he struggled to talk his way out of the jam.
The scene unfolded late in the Kansas-Oklahoma State game. The Jayhawks were up by 20-some points, and Sciambi and Williams needed something to discuss.
Coming back from a commercial break, Sciambi revealed he’d just asked Williams where he would have played college basketball if the transfer portal had been open during his career. Williams played at Duke from 1999-2002 and is among the Blue Devils’ career leaders in many categories.
“Back then, I would have gone to Georgetown,” Williams said. “I would have played for John Thompson. If you’re asking me today …”
Williams suddenly paused and seemed uncomfortable.
“This is a tough one, because I don’t know if I would be allowed to go back home … ” Williams continued.
“Are you about to say North Carolina?” Sciambi asked.
“I just like the way they play,” Williams said.
“Wow!” Sciambi said.
For the uninitiated, the Duke-North Carolina basketball rivalry may be the fiercest in U.S. sports.
Williams probably should have stopped there, but he defended his decision.
“It’s a fast-paced style of play, I like it,” Williams said.
“Holy cow!” Sciambi said, egging on Williams.
“You did this to me,” Williams said. “This is your fault.”
“This is straight up Awful Announcing — Jon Sciambi got Jay Williams excommunicated from the Duke family Tuesday night,” Sciambi noted, knowing their exchange would not go unnoticed.
“Wow, North Carolina,” Sciambi said under his breath.
“I’m sweating on camera,” Williams said. “This is not OK.”
In a hilarious exchange, Duke legend Jay Williams shocks college basketball by saying if he were in the transfer portal today, he would go to UNC because of their fast style of play.
"This is straight up Awful Announcing – Jon Sciambi got Jay Williams excommunicated from the… pic.twitter.com/wkVSlr4XdY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 17, 2024
Williams and Sciambi continued debating the issue, with Williams conceding he might change his transfer choice to Michigan State. Sciambi mentioned Gonzaga as a possibility.
Inevitably, the talk returned to the Tar Heels.
“(UNC head coach) Hubert Davis is my guy,” Sciambi said.
“All right,” Williams said. “There goes that — there goes my career.”
