Big 12, C-USA Looking at Texas Guard
The rumors were that Dominique Williams, an athletic 6-foot-2, 170-pound combo
guard from Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Tex., had made an early commitment
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to stay close to home. But it hasn't happened as Williams is open in his
recruiting, and has been fielding calls from schools in the Big 12 and
Conference USA.
The confusion over a possible early commitment to Texas-Arlington simply came
from a miscommunication.
"I had told them they were number one on my list," said Williams. "I guess
they thought I had committed - it got spread around on the internet and
everything. But no, I have not committed to UTA."
While Williams is still interested in UTA and has a standing offer from the
Mavericks, he has since backed off them as his leader. Instead, he is
currently wide open and is looking at several schools, including South Florida,
Iowa State, Colorado State, SMU, and Wichita State. Iowa State has talked
about him making an on-campus visit, and South Florida in particular has been
heavily involved since the adidas Big Time.
"They've been calling me a lot," said Williams. "Their coach is cool and I
know they have a good coaching staff. They've been telling me how their
players get along really well. And it's not just about basketball; they talk
about the education you can get there too."
On the AAU circuit, Williams - like all Dunbar players - did not play on a
select team, but rather a squad made up of his high school teammates (under the
name Ft. Worth MLK Mash). This allows them to get a leg up on their
competition for the following high school season. Although they do not have
the sheer talent that other AAU teams have, the MLK Mash still manage to do
well against all competition because of their teamwork and chemistry. This
summer they fared well in tournaments held throughout Texas and at the adidas
Big Time.
An explosive player, Williams has played both the point and at shooting guard
for Dunbar and the MLK Mash. His potential, according to his AAU coach, Wayne
Lewis, has yet to be reached.
"Dominique I feel is probably one of the best athletes in the state of Texas,"
said Lewis. "I see all that he possesses and I'm amazed. He has a good
basketball IQ and he's just saturated with talent - it's just virtually
untapped."
Probably more of a scorer than a distributor, Williams uses his athleticism to
break down defenders off the dribble, and has the ability to finish at the rim.
But even with his physical gifts, Williams is not just out to make himself
look good. As you might expect from a Hughes-coached player, he plays the team
game.
"I'm a team player," said Williams. "I like to get everyone involved and keep
everyone involved."
One thing that Williams will need to do to prepare for the next level is
increase his consistency from the perimeter.
"I've been working on my jumper," said Williams. "I've been getting up early
every day to go to the gym to work on it."
He will also need to work on getting stronger, which will help him make the
full transition to the point for college.
"He just needs some strength," said Lewis. "At his size he'll play more at the
one at the next level, and right now whenever he makes turnovers it's because
of lack of strength. Once he gets strength he'll be hard to deal with."
Williams said that he is leaning towards making a spring decision, which would
allow him to chance to shine this upcoming season, and perhaps open up even
more options. Lewis says everyone should watch closely.
"He will raise some eyebrows this season at the state tournament," he said.
Williams currently sports a 3.2 GPA and will take the SAT for the first time in
September. He would like to major in engineering in college.
Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com