Williford’s jaw-dropping moment during ‘Jerry & Jerry Show’s’ assessment of transfer guard

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Jason Williford has been around big-time college basketball since the 1990s, so when Virginia’s associate head coach makes a proclamation, others tend to listen. Such was the case when Williford appeared live on “The Jerry & Jerry Show” on Tuesday morning in downtown Charlottesville.

During the interview with show co-hosts Jerry Miller and yours truly, Williford was talking about some of the newcomers to UVA’s team. When point guard Dante Harris came up, Williford beamed.

“I’m going to say something and I may get myself in trouble,” Williford said, pausing before he finished his thought. “[Harris] has the potential to be a better on-ball defender than Kihei Clark.”

The statement drew a couple of immediate “Wow,” reactions from the co-hosts and the thousands of listeners to the show from 11 states and every corner of the Commonwealth. A better on-ball defender than Kihei? Think about that for a moment.

Clark, UVA’s all-time leader in assists (718), wins (122), starts (141) and games played (161),was known for his intense on-ball defensive skills and his quickness. Clark was so aggressive on defense that as a freshman, he frustrated junior guard Ty Jerome so much in practice one day that Jerome rifled a ball aimed at Clark’s face.

“And, he’s as quick, maybe quicker,” Williford continued to comment on Harris, who transferred to Virginia last season from Georgetown. “I don’t know if I should say it, but I put myself out there … and Kihei was a hell of a defender … but this kid, his quickness is a little bit quicker than Kihei. Scary, yeah.”

More wows from the audience.

Harris, who may be generously listed as 6-foot, 170 pounds, is a Washington, D.C., native, who played his high school ball for former UVA star 3-point shooter Curtis Staples, the coach at Lakeway Christian Academy in Morristown, Tenn. In his final season at Lakeway, Harris produced eye-popping numbers: 32.6 points per game, 9.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds en route to being a finalist for the state of Tennessee’s “Mr. Basketball” honors.

He went on to start 50 consecutive games at Georgetown and averaged 11.9 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals as a sophomore for the Hoyas before becoming disenchanted. He was the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player his freshman season.

The 22-year-old, who practiced with UVA after his transfer during the season, has three years of eligibility remaining and could have a major impact on the Cavaliers this season. When he plays his first game for Tony Bennett in November, it will be his first real game in almost 20 months.

To see the full episode, click on the video below.