Williams was the bell cow for a Whitman group who advanced to the state championship game for the third-straight year. Although they came up short in each of the games, Williams’ control and ability to dictate from the point of attack can never go unnoticed. He’ll enter an important spring/summer in regards to recruiting, but will step in once again for Whitman next season as a senior and be expected to lead them back to the big stage once again and finally overcome the state title hurdle. Williams averaged a healthy stat line of 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, warranting a 5-spot boost in the rankings update to No. 32 overall.

Williams, as he’s been all year, was the bell cow for Whitman in this one. Despite having one of his rougher outings from an efficiency perspective, he was the lone player on Whitman who could break his man down off the bounce and create consistently. He’s a downhill driver that can use his body to absorb and play off contact. His competitive edge makes him an impact on the boards and his frequency in the paint or keeping his eyes up in transition allowed for key assists to keep positivity rolling in Whitman’s favor early on. Williams sported a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the loss.

The bell cow for a well-oiled Whitman group, Williams provides the necessary playmaking on the ball as the point guard that every team needs in order to make the type of state title run they’re currently on. As they look to get back to the championship game and avenge last season’s loss, Williams will shoulder the load and hasn’t shown any signs of fatigue or letting up as the season has progressed. He averages north of 18 points per game for the 21-4 Vikings and is a plus positional rebounder. While it’s important to have size in the frontcourt during state tournament play, having high-level guard play is even more of a necessity and head coach Chris Lun enjoys that luxury with the trust he has in Williams making his team go.

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-Really liked the bounce back in the 2H for the junior guard as Williams scored 25p in the 2H and 13 in the 3Q alone to bring his team back and even give them the lead for a nice stretch. Walton knocked down 3s off the bounce and off the catch (hitting 3 straight in the midst of that 3Q run), got into his defender’s chest throughout the afternoon to draw fouls around the rim, drew offensive fouls at key junctures by fighting over screens, and hit a flurry of different touch shots around the paint. His ability to stop on a dime to quickly raise up for a floater or pull-up jumper makes him more difficult to guard because of how quick and effective he gets downhill with or without a ball screen. His most impressive stretch showed that versatility with a 3 off the catch, another off the bounce at the top of the key, a spinning double clutch lay through the double team, a bump and mid-paint fader in transition, and a steal and layup to give Whitman a 3-point lead heading into the 4Q. One of the more dynamic 2-way athletes that we have in the class.

Williams has consistently answered the call as a junior in assuming the responsibilities as the lead guard and primary offensive option for a Whitman team who came into last night winning a 15-game winning streak. Watching him go head-to-head against Vaughn-Cooper was as entertaining as you’d predict as Williams scored 23 points, hauled in four rebounds and dished out three assists in the close loss. Williams’ uses his effective change-of-pace attack off the bounce paired with his strong frame to command angles on drives. He has enough wiggle to gain an edge and twitch in his counters to keep his defender guessing. As we’ve seen throughout this season, the further development of his jumper off the catch has forced his matchup to aggressively closeout, which can play towards his strength in getting into the paint and playing off two.

The straw that stirs the drink for this Whitman team, Williams offers dynamic playmaking ability and dependable ball security as the lead guard. He proved that statement once again leading Whitman to victory behind a game-high 29 points to go with 11 rebounds. Williams’ ability to beat his man off the dribble with a quick first step or lull them to sleep with change-of-pace dribbles to get into the paint where he can effectively decelerate for floaters. Where his game has really improved over the last year has been his three-point shot. He knocked down four in last night’s game. The confidence and release have clearly improved as has the results, making him an even tougher matchup for opposing defenses to contain on a nightly basis.

Williams is a common name on our site whenever we see Whitman in action thanks to his versatile skillset at the guard position. He stuffs the stat sheet and can adjust to whatever the given game is calling for whether that’s to be more of an aggressive scorer, a paint-toucher to collapse the defense and create for others or be more of a lockdown defender who brings an effective blend of strength, quickness and anticipation.

As usual, head coach Chris Lun has Whitman rolling as they currently sit 7-1 and Williams’ production has played a huge role in the success. As a team, they play a well-balanced and structured style of basketball that will take advantage of the opposition when possible in the open floor, but prides themselves on the consistent execution of sets in slowing it down in the half court. Williams provides the presence of a guy who can call his own number when needed. Averaging 16.8 points per game, Williams has displayed improvement in his three-level scoring. Since his freshman season, he’s been able to use his burst and strong frame to get to the rim, but over the last year or so, his pace, balance and wiggle have all progressed along with the threat that he can pose as as shot maker from both mid-range and three.

Williams is a stocky built space eating guard who lived navigating downhill on the attack. He connected on four threes in their loss against D-Town West. Williams was an effective rebounder finding ways to secure them with ease. He had a team high 29 points. I like how Williams was able to turn defense to offensive and was very pesky.

-Have come away impressed by Williams’ defensive intensity and versatility as a ball-hawking guard that really takes pride in forcing defensive stops. He plays with a ton of speed and has the lateral quickness to stay in front of anybody because of his ability to force his way over screens both on or off the ball. He often lets his matchup think they have the step on him before covering ground with a wide gather to explode towards the rim and pin a block on the backboard. Love the way that he rotates to open shooters to force them to put the ball on the floor and he’s not afraid to mix it up in the paint for rebounds. Should be a huge asset for a deep Whitman team this fall.