Williams Leading Sharks Offense
Instant Offense: Freshman point guard Darius Williams is leading the Miami Dade College men’s basketball team in scoring this year while averaging 20 points per game.
Point guard Darius Williams has injected instant offense into the Miami Dade College men’s basketball team this season.
The 20-year-old freshman has scored at least 30 points in four games and 20 points in nine other games. He is the team’s leading scorer this year, averaging 20 points per contest.
Williams was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Week from Jan. 11 through Jan. 17 when he averaged 33 points, 2.5 assists and shot 52 percent from the field during the stretch.
“He’s a scorer. He’s second in the state in scoring. He’s a good shooter, good off the bounce and good finishing around the rim. He does a little bit of everything for us offensively,” said men’s Head Basketball Coach Stephen Cowherd. “He’s come a long way since the beginning of the year.”
The 6-foot-tall Williams attributed his passion for basketball to his father and grandfather.
“My grandad loved basketball and my dad played, so I followed up the dream,” Williams said. “My grandad worked me out every day and I pushed to get better.”
Originally from Augusta, GA. Williams graduated from T.W. Josey High School, where he scored 1,232 points in his junior and senior years on the men’s varsity basketball team.
Williams was recruited to MDC by men’s Assistant Basketball Coach Kevin Ledoux, who traveled to Augusta to watch Williams play in high school. Since his arrival at MDC, Williams has been a leader in the locker room, motivating his teammates to achieve success.
“He’s trying to push everyone on the team, to lead the team, to win the most games we can,” said Dalen Traore, a center on this year’s squad and Williams’ roommate. “He’s pretty much the funniest guy on the team. He’s always trying to pick on everyone, in a good way, and bring a good atmosphere to the team…he makes everyone want to play better.”
With only a few games left in the regular season, Williams hopes to take the Sharks all the way to the playoffs. The team is currently 14-12 and 4-7 in the Southern Conference.
“It’s been a good year for me and my team and we just gotta pull together and win,” Williams said. “ We gotta grind it out and win the last games to get to the playoffs.”
The Sharks final regular season Southern Conference game is on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. versus Eastern Florida State College at the Theodore R. Gibson Health Center, 11011 S.W.104 St. Admission to all games is free.
