Williams Makes It Official
by Zach Smart
Six months ago, there was speculation that you might not ever see Marcus Williams on the hardwood in a big arena again. Now, after an astounding junior season, Williams will sit amongst a select few at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, on the evening of June 28.
The UConn guard has officially declared for the NBA draft. NBA mock drafts predict that the 6-foot-3 Williams will likely land with a team in the first round, and some believe he’ll even emerge as a top-10 pick. His stock certainly elevated after the NCAA tournament.
Unscathed on a pathway to success, Williams has learned a life-long lesson after being dealt a second chance. A judge granted Williams a special form of probation after he was suspended for the first semester, due to his part in the robberies of several laptop computers on the Storrs, Conn. Campus.
“My experiences here included ups and downs,” Williams, who often clashed with UConn coach Jim Calhoun during his three-year stay, said at the Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday.
Williams resurrected his college career as he began the season with a December press conference. This was where Williams expressed regret for his past actions and made a sincere apology before a mob of Connecticut reporters and journalists.
What really divides Williams from other point guards of his ilk is his unmatched court vision and wowing creativity when distributing the rock. During the NCAA tournament, Williams set up his NBA-bound teammates for buckets in the first half before taking it upon himself to make the big, crucial plays down the game’s determining stretches. Even with the semester-long suspension that forced him to miss the Huskies’ first eleven games, the bullet-quick lefty from California morphed into college basketball’s most electrifying floor general this season. He made his hoop prowess felt around the country during the Huskies’ four NCAA Tournament games.
Williams came into his element during those games, averaging 20 points and 8.8 dimes, never once flaking under pressure. He made nerveless, jaw-dropping plays and was the Huskies’ most valuable player during a run that fell one game short of a Final Four entry.
He averaged 12.3 points and 8.6 assists in his 23 games with the Huskies.
One early concern about Williams’ pro stock was suspect defense. It was made most evident during a 76-62 victory over Providence at the end of January. Friars guard Donnie McGrath lit him for a couple of treys, forcing him to the bench, where he received a classic Calhoun earful.
Toronto Raptors forward Charlie Villanueva dodged the same shots of criticism as a Husky toying with NBA draft options last year. Now Villanueva averages 13 points and six boards per game in the league, and the rookie went off for 48 against Milwaukee last month.
Williams will have plenty of good company on draft night. Sophomore Rudy Gay, the freakishly athletic forward, and senior Hilton Armstrong, the menacing shot-blocker who earned Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors, will join him. These players could be joined by junior Josh Boone, whose game could be found only on the back of milk cartons at certain points this season (there was a two-week search warrant out for Boone’s game before he came alive in a 88-80 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome). Boone has left the door open for a return, as he opted not to sign with an agent.
