Former UNC men's basketball star leads NC's top high school team

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Twenty-six years after Donald Williams led UNC to a national title in men's basketball, he's been eyeing a state championship as coach of the Wakefield High School women's basketball team.

Williams is in his second season with the Wolverines.

The previous three years he coached at Wakefield Middle School and spent time before that with legend Eddie Gray in Garner. The Trojans won the state championship with Williams working as an assistant.

Williams gets the majority of his coaching traits from Gray and Naismith Hall Of Famer Dean Smith. "My main philosophies come from coach Smith, from everything on how I ran my practices...and a little coach Gray about his intensity."

In a blink, he's turned the women's basketball program into a juggernaut, earning the number one seed in the state tournament.

Having Division I talent is a big part of it, of course.

On the roster are three Division I athletes: Senior Jada Peebles is committed to Illinois, Gabby Donaldson is headed to Harvard next fall and Tori Hansen signed a letter of intent to play soccer at UNC.

"I want it for them more than anything because I've seen the work they put in to get to this point," said Williams.

Like Dean Smith, Williams leads with defense. As you'd imagine, instructions from the 1993 Final Four MVP carries a little extra clout.