Duke commits Elizabeth Williams and Amber Henson both played quite well this past week at the two most prestigious high school all-star games: the WBCA All-America game in Indianapolis and the McDonald's All-America game in Chicago. The former game has been played since 1992 and the latter since 2001. Williams was named the MVP of the MDAA game thanks to a record-setting 23 points to go with 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, an assist and a steal in 19 minutes of play. She helped propel her team to an easy 78-66 win. She was the MVP of the losing Red team in the WBCAAA game, pouring in 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and an assist in 29 minutes of play. Henson had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 5 blocks in the MDAA game in 17 minutes of play and produced 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 20 minutes of play at WBCAAA.

Let's look at Amber Henson first. Henson is not just tall; she's also long. Given somewhat spotty playing time in the MDAA game, she didn't touch the ball all that often. She displayed nice form on her jump shot but didn't hit any; she did her damage inside. Her length was in effect with her shot-blocking. Henson is a possession shot-blocker, meaning she doesn't simply swat shots out of bounds, but keeps them in play. Her body reminds me a little of Iciss Tillis: long, graceful and agile. She is slender and will need to add strength, but I like her fighting spirit along with her versatility. She certainly was more aggressive offensively in the WBCAAA game, hitting 5-12 shots as opposed to 2-4 in the other game.

With regard to Williams, it must be noted that great performances in these games are not necessarily indicative of future greatness. With that said...wow. She destroyed fellow top-ten player Krystal Forthan in the MDAA game, holding her to 1-9 shooting from the floor. Williams' game is all about explosiveness. She combines incredible leaping ability with excellent body control and constant aggressiveness. Many of her 23 points came off second-chance opportunities. In fact, most of her misses were in traffic after picking up a rebound; she could have easily scored 30 points or more. Williams is not just a great leaper but a great runner as well. She easily kept pace with the speediest of guards in transition.

Williams displayed her versatility by sinking a three to start out the game, showing nice touch on her jump shot. Essentially, there are two areas where Williams needs to do some work. First, she has to work on her upper-body strength. While she's certainly not weak and stronger than many of the other post players in her peer group, she has to gain strength to compete against the elite centers in the NCAA. Second, she has to work a bit on her touch. She rushed a few shots trying to go back up quickly instead of taking her time and getting a better look. It should be noted that she rarely brought the ball down when she got the board and simply went right back up with a shot. Her free throw shooting in these games was erratic (2-4 in MDAA, 4-9 in WBCAAA); this is an area she'll need to shore up immediately since she will be living at the foul line during her career. Williams has great fundamentals, excellent athleticism and a motor that won't quit. Those three factors indicate that she will be a player who makes an immediate impact at Duke.

A last note: Betnijah Laney, an uncommitted recruit who is considering Duke, Oklahoma and Rutgers, scored 21 points in the WBCAAA game and 6 points in the MDAA game. A physical wing who loves to rebound, she will make her college choice on April 13th.