Skyhawks to Spartans: NSU Lands LC Bird Frontcourt
It isn’t every day that you see players go from high school teammates to college teammates, especially when they play the same position. That phenomena played out on Tuesday however, as LC Bird’s senior front court of 6’8” Tyrek Williams and 6’9” Chris Ford both committed to Norfolk State after taking visits this past weekend.
“It was a great family atmosphere, much like we have at Bird,” Williams said about the program and how he felt on the visit.
While they both come from the same school and play the same position, the road has been much different for the two big men. Williams started for the Skyhawks last season and provided an inside presence for a guard heavy team that went on to win the VHSL 5A State Championship. He isn’t the most nimble or athletic big, but he’s a bully in the post that has good footwork, soft touch with both hands and can step out and shoot the midrange jump shot.
Ford, who has started playing basketball competitively as a freshman three years ago, has become one of the most improved players in the state through hard work and dedication. He suffered a leg injury before the season started last year, however his high motor and rate of improvement turned him into a huge stock riser in July. He attended the Victor Oladipo Skills Camp where he led the camp in field goal percentage, and the athletic rim protector picked up the Norfolk State offer after a big showing at the Adidas Select Session VI in Richmond during the second July live period.
CJ Ford has improved immensely over the past three years.“Norfolk State is the perfect fit for me athletically and academically,” Ford said. “The NSU coaching staff treats me like family, much like the LC Bird staff does. I have a lot of family in Norfolk as well, and I’m confident that my future will be secure by going to NSU no matter what I choose to be.”
The Spartans, much like the Skyhawks, have been one of the most successful programs at their level in the past five seasons. They’ve gone 76-20 in the MEAC the past five seasons, and have played in a postseason tournament in each of those years. In 2011, they had one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, as they took #2 Missouri as a #15 seed in the first round.
Norfolk State is able to take multiple big men since they have four players graduating and two available scholarships now. Getting one offensive guy that can contribute immediately in Williams and one defensive minded project who will get better with time in Ford seems to be a winning combination.
LC Bird has been one of the best programs for producing scholarship level players in the past few seasons. With these two included, the Skyhawks now have put nine players who graduated on full scholarship in the past three seasons, six of them at the division one level, and have multiple others that have thrived at the division three level.
The Spartans land two of the most underrated big men in the state, a great way to start their class, and you can see Williams and Ford on the floor together this season. Behind the two big men, the Skyhawks are considered one of the favorites to repeat as state champions in the VHSL 5A Classification this year.