Recruiting Report: Patrick Williams (2019)
When Patrick Williams says he does several things on the court well, he isn’t lying. The versatile class of 2019 wing out of West Charlotte High School was a standout on the EYBL with Team United. We saw Williams multiple times at the Oladipo Skills Academy, and he was certainly one of the most promising prospects in attendance.
“I would describe my game as well rounded, I’m pretty tall at 6’7, but I have good coordination, court vision, I can handle the rock, and get to the cup and I’m a consistent shooter from 3. I like to reference my game to Paul George and/or Michael Porter Jr. because they are also tall players that can pretty much play the 1-4 spots on the court,” Williams explained of his overall game. “I try to show every aspect of my game when I’m on the court, but one thing they might not see is my ability to lead a team. They wouldn’t see this ability because I’m not vocal with my leadership like I need to be. I tend to do my leading on the bench or during timeouts and breaks. I need to work on becoming a vocal leader on the court.”
At the beginning of the summer when Williams decided to play 17u, he knew that as a 15 year old playing against 16 and 17 year olds would only make him better, and help him develop. Williams says the biggest thing he learned over the summer is to be aggressive on both ends of the floor on every possession.
“Playing against some guys that are top in the country or projected 1 and done, I was able to see their style of play and try to incorporate some of that into my game. One thing I saw from all the players was they never take plays off. Whether it’s having good on ball pressure, getting backside steals, tipping of the ball or getting a bucket, setting a good screen or making the right pass. They make plays every single time up and down the court.”
Williams has undergone an incredible transformation in the last twelve months. Last year, he was about 6’2 and admittedly very passive. Initially considered to be a streaky shooter, Williams has significantly improved with his consistency in that department.
“My IQ has gone to another level due to playing on the EYBL 17u circuit, and I’m starting to use my athleticism and strength like I should be. Also, my handle has gotten better, but I will keep improving on my handle for the next level,” Williams stated. “Like I said earlier, I need to work on become more a vocal leader on the court, I still need to become more aggressive on the court because sometimes I catch myself being passive, I need to keep improving on my IQ, ball handling, and deep 3 point consistency because I will need those tools to excel at the next level.”
Williams is being recruited by dozens of division one programs. He currently has offers from UNCC, UNCG, Hampton, Virginia Tech, Dayton, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Cincinnati, NC State, Texas A&M, Clemson, Wake Forest and Delaware State.
“I have been receiving interest from VCU, ODU, UNC, West Virginia, Notre Dame, UVA, Georgia Tech and Yale,” said Williams of other schools involved in his recruitment. “I think I will be able to bring a good atmosphere to a college program, and team I feel as if I can make players around me better. I think that I will be useful on the court because I can play and defend most positions on the court, and on the offensive end I will be able to crest matchup problems for their guards or bigs.”