Williams a Steal for Rice

A mid-major can easily pick up a quality player in the spring if they look hard enough in-state. Rice recently got themselves one in Lorenzo Williams, a cat-quick 6-1, 165 pound point guard out of Killeen (TX) Ellison HS.

Williams finished up an terrific senior season, averaging 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while leading his team to district title, a 35-2 overall record, and one step away from the state Final Four. He was named Second Team All-State for Texas 4A schools. According to his head coach, David Manley, Williams has all the tools as a point guard.

"He's extremely athletic and has good quickness," he said. "He can shoot the jumper, but can also finish at the rim on bigger players with his athleticism."

In fact, Williams used to utilize his athleticism in another sport - track and field.

"He was a 48 foot triple-jumper," said Manley. "If he still ran track he'd qualify for state."

Williams is an outstanding student who sports a 3.8 GPA in honors coursework and ranks in the top 15 percent of the senior class. As a basketball player he is well-educated as well, and wants to continue his learning at the next level.

"Lorenzo has tremendous upside. He's just got God-given ability," said Manley. "Yet, he's very coachable and is a student of the game. He wants to improve daily."

One of the things Williams will need to do to adjust to Division I basketball is build strength, but according to Manley, that's certainly not uncommon.

"Like 98 percent of the kids out there, he needs to get stronger," said Manley. "But once he gets three meals a day, all-you-can-eat, and starts working with a strength coach, he'll get there."

Williams chose Rice over a number of mid-major schools. Wichita State, UTEP, and some Southland Conference schools such as Southwest Texas and Stephen F. Austin were in the running. Colorado State and Holy Cross had made offers early on, but Williams chose to wait until the spring to sign. And once the Owls came calling with an offer, Williams jumped at the chance.

"Rice was involved all along. They knew what his potential was," said Manley.

At Rice, Williams joins a four player class, including himself and fellow spring signee Greg Killings, and fall signees Morris Almond and Jason Okrzesik.

"They're getting a steal," said Manley. "He's the perfect player for them."

Jed Tai is a senior writer for Hoopville.com.