The face of college basketball in Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated return to the college basketball court for the start of the ACC tournament. If you have not heard of Zion before, he is the 6’7, 285-pound freshman phenom at Duke University, and projected number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Zion sat out the final six regular season games for the Blue Devils after suffering a grade 1 knee sprain in the opening seconds against their rival North Carolina.

     In his return to the hardwood, Zion was proven to be an instrumental part of the Duke basketball team, as he carried them to their 19th ACC tournament championship. Duke played Syracuse, North Carolina, and Florida State in the tournament, and gave a sort of demonstration of basketball evolution, how in the year 2019, humanity can fashion a 285-pound first-year student who moves like an optical illusion. Williamson finished the tournament with 81 points and 30 rebounds total, including going a perfect 13 for 13 from the field in the opening game, tying an ACC record for most makes without a miss. Although many fans were happy to see Zion back in action, there was some controversy about whether he should return, or rest the remainder of the season to stay healthy and prepare for the NBA draft. He had this to say about that, “Thanks, but no thanks” and “I want to be out there with them, and I made a commitment to them, and I would be a bad person if I went back on my commitment.” There was no way Zion was going to sit out the remainder of the season, and in the tournament, showed why he’s the most dominant player in college basketball. Williamson was awarded the tournament MVP honors and will attempt to will his team to win the real tournament, March Madness. Duke will open up play against the North Dakota State Bison on Friday, March 22. Can Zion Williamson lead Duke to yet another tournament championship?