Lost somewhere amid the sounds of our sporting culture - the perfectly miserable mix of fan booing and player bellyaching that so harmoniously blend to produce the NBA All-Star experience, the heavy breathing of XFL fans (all nine of them), and the constant in-house gripes of Minnesota Vikings - was the unassuming timbre of Jason Williams' voice.
Last week, while we all were reaching for earmuffs to dodge the latest Allen Iverson expletive or muzzle the newest Jesse Ventura invective, we missed a short sound byte worth not only our time but our attention.
Somewhere in the depths of Cameron Indoor Stadium, after Duke's drubbing of Florida State, Williams, the Blue Devils sophomore floor general, made a statement.
It went something like this: "I'm staying."
Not for the duration of the 2000-2001 season, mind you, but until the New Jersey native walks the stage, diploma in left hand, ready-to-fling graduation cap in the other.
Not for reasons solely related to advancing his already phat skills.
Not with a bigger paycheck in mind.
Naturally, an improved game and an enlarged bank account are inevitable for such an impressive combination of talent and maturity. In other words, Williams is going to get his - whether next month or next year.
It's how he's going about getting it that has me impressed. Equally shocking, though, is the lack of fanfare greeting Williams' decision.
For those of you who liken this announcement to Michael Vick's innumerable press-conference promises to stick it out in Blacksburg another year, please reconsider.
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Mr. Electric fibbed about living the college life another year, not because of Virginia Tech's killer Slavic languages department, but because 12 more months under Frank Beamer's tutelage would equal major league money. Then Vick realized he could cash in anyway, and those "be true to your school" promises lasted about as long as a Juan Gonzales marriage.
Williams proudly proclaimed he wasn't cutting class until he had no more classes to cut. The college experience first lured the former McDonald's High School Player of the Year to Durham, and that very same experience will now keep him there two more years.
Is Williams lying? There's always that potential.
But when I ponder its possibility, I'm reminded of an impromptu conversation I struck with the nation's top player last August at the Adidas ABCD High School Basketball Camp. It's a sleazy showcase with one intention in mind: to make money. Teenage players boast their talents in hopes of landing the next big contract, coaches seek out the nation's best with Final Four dreams dancing in their heads, and AAU bosses use the notoriety of both the coaches and players to stuff their wallets.
There, again drowned out by the hollering and howling of others, perched in the top corner of a wall of rickety bleachers, was Williams.
I approached him. We chatted at length, and I concluded our friendly repartee with a simple question: "So, what about leaving early for the draft?"
His rebuttal, a grave glare directed to the eyes of the asker, burns a hole in me to this day.
"My friends, the college life, Duke; I don't know if I could ever give that up."
So he won't. At least for another 24 months.
My new question is also a simple one: For all the shouting and prancing that headline our headlines, isn't it time we gave student athletes like Jason Williams a little of our time?
Even XFL fans can spare five minutes.
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