St. Vincent-St. Mary has a history of churning out Division I talent, and the latest appears to be Jon Williams. The 5-foot-10 guard added Akron and Toledo offers this summer — his first two from Division I schools.
If Williams seems familiar, there's good reason for that. He's the younger brother of Josh Williams, a 2015 St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate and Akron signee, and the two brothers play a similar style. They are naturally pass-first guards who can hit an open jumper.
Last season, it was Josh Williams who tried to open up his offensive game, and this season, Jon Williams will try to do the same.
“I need to be more aggressive,” Jon Williams said. “This season is going to be a big year for me. I have to play a bigger role. The biggest thing for me is shooting the first shot. I can't hold back or be shy.”
Williams has always been a part of deep backcourts. Last season at St. Vincent-St. Mary, he played alongside his brother, Jayvon Graves (2017), Henry Baddley (2016, Butler commit), R.J. Jones (2015) and Johnnie Robinson (2015). During the summer, he plays on King James Shooting Stars with Graves and East Tech guard Markell Johnson (2017).
“Bring around great people, you have no option but to be great. It helps you elevate your own game,” WIlliams said.
Despite playing with so many talented players, Williams isn't getting lost in the shuffle. He has the two Division I offers and has interest from Northern Kentucky, Cleveland State, Ohio and Dayton.
Williams says schools like his shooting and unselfishness. When deciding on a school, he will consider the fit for him, the coaching staff and the relationships they maintain with players.
Before he makes any decisions, he has a big high school season ahead of him. St. Vincent-St. Mary had a bitter end to their season last year, as an undefeated season ended one win away from the state tournament.
Now Williams is putting it on himself to lead his team to a title.
“Nothing less than a state championship. We had a great team. We still have a great team and have what it takes to get there.”
