Al Williams, a member of Galesburg High School’s 1957 Elite 8 basketball team, first faced Don Nelson at a jump ball circle. Nelson played at rival Rock Island High School when the two squared off as seniors. Williams remembers finally beating Nelson to the tip his senior year and telling him, “Gotcha, didn’t I?” — Nelson didn’t say a word back. Nelson, who went on to star at the University of Iowa and for the Boston Celtics before becoming a Hall of Fame NBA coach, died Sunday at 86.
Al Williams joined WGIL’s Jay Redfern on Monday, Aug. 10. Listen to the full interview below.
They talked about:
- How Nelson used his size to win jump balls — and how Williams finally got him back
- The stalling strategy that helped Galesburg upset Rock Island 23-21
- What kind of player and person Nelson was, on and off the court
- Staying in touch with Nelson over the decades that followed
- Whether Williams saw Nelson’s coaching career coming
Related story: ‘Gotcha, didn’t I?’: Former Streak Al Williams remembers Don Nelson
🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg’s Morning News on Apple Podcasts and Spotify