Prospect Spotlight: Derek Williams
Tucson High School had some talented guards on their roster last year. Specifically, Jordan Robinson and Derek Williams. Although Robinson has graduated, Williams remains. Williams, 6’0 PG 2018, was recently named the MVP of the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo. He has improved his skill set and will have a big year for Tucson.
Derek Williams High School
Last year, Williams shot the basketball at an extremely impressive rate. In fact, he shot it nearly 50% from 3. Although he is primarily a shooter, he demonstrated that he is capable of doing much more than that at the Top 250 Expo.
At the Expo, he was talking players to the rim and playing bully ball. His mixture of speed and skill enabled him to get wherever he wanted to get to. Williams showed that he could be a special player and might be one of the best guards in the state.
In addition to being physically strong and quick, he has a solid handle. He uses his change of pace and direction well to freeze the defenders and explode to where he wants to get to on the floor.
As far as this upcoming season is concerned, he stated that his ultimate goal is to “lead my team to winning state”. Although he noted that he does not care about “what I average”, he did note that he will most likely need to be the leading scorer in order for the team to have success. Although the group lost a talented player in Robinson, Williams feels that “with the team we have this year, we can do great things”.
Williams has an interesting story in which his primary source of motivation is his mom. When asked about this, he stated “my mom adopted me when I was two years old”. In addition to adopting him, she has “done everything” for him. Further, he wears “10 because my niece”. He views his niece as his little sister. Thus, he has worked a lot on “maturity” this off-season. His goal is to play at the next level and he wants to honor his mother and niece with his decisions and play.
He has a tremendous skill set. Williams has worked heavily on “explosiveness”. He wants to be a more dynamic guard and use his shooting to create driving opportunities for himself.
Derek Williams College Interest
Williams does not have any college offers at this time. However, he has received interest from “Santa Barbra, Portland, NAU, University of Pacific, Arizona Christian, Villanova, Buffalo State, and Loyola University”.
After seeing his improvements first hand, my projection for Williams would be at the high NCAA Division-II level or low NCAA Division-I. His speed, explosiveness, and strength are off the chart of the high school level. He is able to attack the rim with the best of them and shoots it at an insane mark from deep.
As far as what he is looking for in a school, he wants to find “a good program for school and basketball”. He noted that a “good education” is quite important to him and his ultimate goals.
Williams currently is without offers. However, he has the skill set to play in college and should receive plenty of attention this upcoming season.