Coming from a small town like Surry County, most players will complain about being under recruited compared to the bigger areas. For Surry senior guard Justin Williams, he doesn’t let that take priority over bettering himself both on the court…
Coming from a small town like Surry County, most players will complain about being under recruited compared to the bigger areas. For Surry senior guard Justin Williams, he doesn’t let that take priority over bettering himself both on the court and off the court.
“I take being under recruited as motivation,” Williams said, after listing Randolph College as the school recruiting him the most. “I didn’t worry about playing in camps or even AAU this season, I just stayed in the gym working on my game and focused on getting stronger and becoming a smarter player.”
Williams, who led Surry County to the 1A State Semifinals last season, is a dangerous combo guard who can fill it up from all three levels. After leading Surry on their run, he was named to the First Team 1A All State team, averaging 18 points and 5 assists per game, and says that the goals this season are to just to build on that and improve with every day.
“Our goals are the same as last season, but we’re going much harder,” Williams said. “I’m looking for every practice to be intense. The little things will be what makes us better. From me being a leader last year I learned a lot, and this season coming up I will have to step up in a bigger way.”
His attitude and leadership is what sets Williams apart from other players, but it wasn’t always that way. He says he had somewhat of an epiphany after his sophomore year, and wanted to ensure that his time at Surry was remembered for the hard work and determination he put into both his game and his team.
“I want people to remember that freshman that was acting like a baby turned into a great leader and a great teammate, as well as a great person,” Williams said. “I tried my hardest in every game, I went all out, and that when things looked bad I continued to work hard to make them better.”
As for the county of Surry, Williams takes pride in representing the town, and says it’s time to bring a state championship to Surry. If the rest of his team buys in with the same attitude that he’s trying to instill in the program, they should be in another great situation to get it done.