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Camden's Williams goes from novice to basketball recruit
Updated: OCTOBER 28, 2016
by Phil Anastasia, Staff Writer @PhilAnastasia
When Deaquan Williams was a freshman, he could "take 10 shots under the basket and miss nine of them," according to Camden High School coach John Valore.
Williams said he might have been worse than that.
"Coach Valore used to say I couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time," Williams said with a smile.
Now a springy 6-foot-6 senior, Williams has developed into a force at both ends of the court for one of South Jersey's premier programs. He is a rim protector on defense, sure-handed rebounder in traffic and surprisingly effective finisher on offense.
Earlier this week, Williams committed to attend Lincoln University on a basketball scholarship - an event he admits would have seemed far-fetched as recently as the end of his sophomore season.
"I wouldn't have believed it could happen," Williams said. "I didn't even start to take basketball seriously until after my sophomore year."
Lincoln University is located in Oxford, Chester County. The Lions' basketball team is a NCAA Division 2 program that competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association with programs such as Virginia State and Winston-Salem State.
At Lincoln, Williams will play for head coach Doug Overton, a former La Salle star and NBA player.
In a recent fall league game at Paul VI, Williams helped Camden to a victory over Pennsauken with several blocks, rebounds and put-backs. He even made a jumper from the top of the key.
Valore said Williams "no question" is one of the most improved players in the coach's 40 seasons at the varsity level.
"He's come so far it's unbelievable," Valore said.
Williams traces much of his improvement over the last year to his play with Team Final, an elite AAU program based in Philadelphia and run by former Camden star Aaron Burt.
Team Final competes in the Nike EYBL - the highest level of AAU basketball for high school players - and features athletes on its roster such as Neumann-Goretti senior power forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a Villanova recruit, and Westtown School junior swingman Cameron Reddish, who has offers from Kentucky and Duke.
St. Augustine Prep senior swingman Justyn Mutts, a High Point recruit, was another of Williams' teammates on Team Final.
"I improved so much playing for that team," Williams said. "Just travelling around the country, playing against those kinds of players in practice, I couldn't help but get better."
Burt, a special-education teacher in the Cherry Hill district, marvels at Williams' development.
"This is a kid that two years ago, I wasn't even sure he liked basketball," Burt said. "He couldn't make a layup. He wasn't even sure how to catch the ball.
"But he put the time in the gym. He got better. And you could see his confidence grow just from the competition he was facing in our practices and when he would get in our games."
Williams said he never played organized basketball before his eighth-grade year at Creative Arts Academy in Camden's Morgan Village section.
He was a reserve on the freshman team and a reserve on the junior varsity as a sophomore, although his ability to run, jump, block shots and rebound was beginning to catch the coaches' eyes by the end of that season.
"When [Camden] lost in the state final my sophomore year, I said to myself that I had to get serious," Williams said. "I wanted to help us get a ring."
Williams bounced off the bench last season for a Camden team that made the state final again and lost again.
He believes his improvement as well as the continued development of returning starters such as senior John Evans and juniors Myles Thompson and Corey Greer could mean the end of Camden's search for that elusive 12th state title in program history.
Williams also said Camden will get an added boost this season from the knowledge that the Panthers' historic gymnasium will be torn down along with the rest of the building after the school year to make way for a new facility.
"It's going to be the last everything in that gym," Williams said. "We have to get a state title for that last season in there."
[email protected]
@PhilAnastasia
www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...l_recruit.html
Camden's Williams goes from novice to basketball recruit
Updated: OCTOBER 28, 2016
by Phil Anastasia, Staff Writer @PhilAnastasia
When Deaquan Williams was a freshman, he could "take 10 shots under the basket and miss nine of them," according to Camden High School coach John Valore.
Williams said he might have been worse than that.
"Coach Valore used to say I couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time," Williams said with a smile.
Now a springy 6-foot-6 senior, Williams has developed into a force at both ends of the court for one of South Jersey's premier programs. He is a rim protector on defense, sure-handed rebounder in traffic and surprisingly effective finisher on offense.
Earlier this week, Williams committed to attend Lincoln University on a basketball scholarship - an event he admits would have seemed far-fetched as recently as the end of his sophomore season.
"I wouldn't have believed it could happen," Williams said. "I didn't even start to take basketball seriously until after my sophomore year."
Lincoln University is located in Oxford, Chester County. The Lions' basketball team is a NCAA Division 2 program that competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association with programs such as Virginia State and Winston-Salem State.
At Lincoln, Williams will play for head coach Doug Overton, a former La Salle star and NBA player.
In a recent fall league game at Paul VI, Williams helped Camden to a victory over Pennsauken with several blocks, rebounds and put-backs. He even made a jumper from the top of the key.
Valore said Williams "no question" is one of the most improved players in the coach's 40 seasons at the varsity level.
"He's come so far it's unbelievable," Valore said.
Williams traces much of his improvement over the last year to his play with Team Final, an elite AAU program based in Philadelphia and run by former Camden star Aaron Burt.
Team Final competes in the Nike EYBL - the highest level of AAU basketball for high school players - and features athletes on its roster such as Neumann-Goretti senior power forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a Villanova recruit, and Westtown School junior swingman Cameron Reddish, who has offers from Kentucky and Duke.
St. Augustine Prep senior swingman Justyn Mutts, a High Point recruit, was another of Williams' teammates on Team Final.
"I improved so much playing for that team," Williams said. "Just travelling around the country, playing against those kinds of players in practice, I couldn't help but get better."
Burt, a special-education teacher in the Cherry Hill district, marvels at Williams' development.
"This is a kid that two years ago, I wasn't even sure he liked basketball," Burt said. "He couldn't make a layup. He wasn't even sure how to catch the ball.
"But he put the time in the gym. He got better. And you could see his confidence grow just from the competition he was facing in our practices and when he would get in our games."
Williams said he never played organized basketball before his eighth-grade year at Creative Arts Academy in Camden's Morgan Village section.
He was a reserve on the freshman team and a reserve on the junior varsity as a sophomore, although his ability to run, jump, block shots and rebound was beginning to catch the coaches' eyes by the end of that season.
"When [Camden] lost in the state final my sophomore year, I said to myself that I had to get serious," Williams said. "I wanted to help us get a ring."
Williams bounced off the bench last season for a Camden team that made the state final again and lost again.
He believes his improvement as well as the continued development of returning starters such as senior John Evans and juniors Myles Thompson and Corey Greer could mean the end of Camden's search for that elusive 12th state title in program history.
Williams also said Camden will get an added boost this season from the knowledge that the Panthers' historic gymnasium will be torn down along with the rest of the building after the school year to make way for a new facility.
"It's going to be the last everything in that gym," Williams said. "We have to get a state title for that last season in there."
[email protected]
@PhilAnastasia
www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...l_recruit.html
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