Prospect Spotlight: Willie Foreman III (2021)
Willie Foreman III has dreams of playing Division 1 basketball once his high school days are done, and in order to get there, Foreman realizes he has to improve on both ends of the court.
Foreman just finished up his freshman season at White Station High School, and showed D1 potential with his ability to drive to the basket at ease, while using his 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame. In the Spartans second game of the 2017 season, Foreman scored 12 points in the team’s 53-30 win over MUS.
One of Foreman’s strengths is his willingness to take physical contact each time he slashes to the lane for a score. He’s also not afraid to go after the offensive or defensive rebound, which is a plus for his size, since he’s a guard/forward. Playing in the AAU circuit since he was in the third grade has helped Foreman’s confidence in improving as a player, in hopes of getting to the next level.
Foreman is currently playing for Hoop City Elite 17U.
“He needs all of the competition he can get throughout the whole summer to get him ready for college basketball,” Tequila Lockett, Foreman’s mother, said.
While Foreman has never seemed hesitant to attack the rim, he has shadowed away from taking outside jump shots in the past. But doing his freshman season at White Station, Foreman found the confidence he was looking for to take more outside shots.
“Now, he’s starting to take more shots from the outside,” Lockett said. “At first, his role was more on the inside, playing more of a five position.”
When Foreman isn’t on the hardwood floor, he’s watching basketball. His favorite player to watch is Kevin Durant, who lives and dies by his outside production. Foreman’s style of play at the moment is similar to NBA players such as LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, two guys who attacks the basket and aren’t afraid of contact.
“Looking at it like that, it is more of a LeBron-style, because he’s not afraid of that contact. Once he drives to the basket, he’s not afraid to go in,” Lockett said.
Lockett also mentioned Foreman has improved on his free throw shooting, which started to see strides at the beginning of his freshman season with the Spartans.
Even though it’s early, and Foreman hasn’t officially started his sophomore season yet, he has been looking at certain schools he’s thinking about attending, in hopes of continuing his basketball journey.
Playing at the D1 level is the ultimate goal for Foreman, and he currently has Kentucky, Duke, and Ole Miss on his dream list of schools. There are times when parents would like for their child or children to stay close to home and go to school, but Lockett doesn’t want to put any pressure on her son to attend college close to home.
“To be honest, I just want my son to go where he’s comfortable, and will get the best education, because that pretty much comes first,” Lockett said. “If he wants to stay at home, I’m rooting for it. If not, hey, I will let him make that decision when that time comes.”