2008 Woodie Awards
They call him "Big Shot"
But star ball player Anthony Williams also goes by another name: Dad
Chris Benini
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports
Originally published: 2/21/08 at 3:39 PM EST
Last update: 2/22/08 at 4:31 PM EST
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Basketball had to take a backseat to family.
Williams' son's mother was in her senior year at Temple University in Philadelphia. Instead of having her leave school, Williams chose to sacrifice his chance to continue playing Division I college basketball on a full scholarship so he could get a job and raise his son.
Three years later, Williams stepped onto the Plattsburgh State campus determined to not only succeed, but to dominate. He told Tom Curle, PSUC's head men's basketball coach, that he was going to become an All-American.
"Anthony does not accept limitations," Curle said. "He sets high goals and high standards and is determined to reach them."
That goal was accomplished after his junior season when he was named as a third team all-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Now in his senior year, he was picked as a preseason All-American by several publications, including The Sporting News and D3Hoops.com. He's proven himself worthy of that praise by averaging 24.1 points per game, good for seventh in the nation in Division III basketball.
When Williams first started playing for the Cardinals, he adjusted quickly. He said he learned going from Division I to Division III basketball would not be easy, but playing at Morgan State helped him adjust to playing in a new system.
"In Division I, the players are more athletically gifted while in Division III the players use their head more," Williams said. "I think it is tougher. You need to think ahead and make the right play."
Williams averaged 15.2 points per game during his first season at PSUC. Williams and the Cardinalswon the SUNYAC title and went to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.
With Williams' determination, it would only be the beginning.
Williams came into his own during his second year at PSUC. In 2007 he averaged 21 points per game and contributed with 4.2 rebounds per game. It was during this season that Williams earned his nickname "big shot."
"There are those guards in the NBA that want the ball in the final minutes of the game, a guy like Chauncey Billups," Williams said. "That's who I want to be."
The SUNYAC semifinal game against Oswego State was the first time that Williams would justify this nickname.
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