Prospect Spotlight: Nieyeme Smyer-Williams (2018)
“It’s heavy,” Nieyeme Smyer-Williams said with a laugh on Saturday. Yes, the shiny state championship ring on his right hand certainly looked as if it could be a decent paperweight. And Pueblo West may not be wearing that Class 4A…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading“It’s heavy,” Nieyeme Smyer-Williams said with a laugh on Saturday.
Yes, the shiny state championship ring on his right hand certainly looked as if it could be a decent paperweight. And Pueblo West may not be wearing that Class 4A state title momento if it weren’t for the contributions last season of the 5-10 Williams, a point guard who averaged 11.6 points per game as a sophomore for the 25-3 Cyclones.
“In that tournament, I think I just showed what I could do,” Williams said of last season’s postseason. “As the second or third scorer on the team, my role is to score the ball, so my coach would tell me to shoot it.”
The Cyclones found success in the tournament last season by refusing to let teams dictate the pace. They took great care of the basketball and made smart plays offensively, and Williams was a key part of that equation.
“He’s so quick with the ball and he can shoot the heck out of it,” said Geno Gutierrez, one of Williams’ AAU coaches with South Central Elite.
On Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Nationals at Gold Crown Fieldhouse, Williams demonstrated an ability to quickly get the ball up the court and then change speeds as he approached the basket. On several occasions he collapsed the defense with his penetration and was able to kick out to an open 3-point shooter.
Williams knows he needs to add size to his frame, but that hasn’t deterred him from being able to finish through contact. Against bigger players in the semifinals last season against Vista Ridge, a game in which he scored 15 points, Williams continually knifed through the defense, drew contact and got to the free-throw line, where he shoots at an efficient clip. Teams that sent double-teams onto 2017 sharpshooter David Simental often had to pick their poison, with Williams’ quickness often causing problems.
“I think my strength is attacking,” he said. “And now I’m working on attacking and getting into my pull-up.”
Williams said he hasn’t received much in the way of recruiting attention yet, but he has the tools of a player who could be a small-college point guard prospect with some more growth.
“College basketball is definitely a goal,” he said. “Big time.”