ENERGY BOOST
Transfer Alondes Williams is starting to emerge as a contributor for the Sooners
While it has taken time for him to adjust to his role with the Sooners, Alondes Williams has started to emerge as a playmaker — something that will be important this week as Oklahoma plays two winnable games against Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
While Steve Christiansen was going through pregame before Triton College's game Saturday, he was also thinking about another game.
The coach at the suburban Chicago junior college and his staff had watched as their former player Alondes Williams and his new team, Oklahoma, tipped off against Mississippi State. Triton had a game of its own a couple hours later, so as his team warmed up, Christiansen tried to keep up with the Sooners as well.
“That was a fun day ,” Christiansen said. “And obviously to get to see him make some shots, make some plays, especially in a win was all the better to go into our own game with.”
Williams played at Triton College for two seasons before transferring to Oklahoma before this season. The lessons and experience of playing for the Trojans have started to show in the 6-foot-5 guard. While it has taken time for him to adjust to his role with t he Sooners, Williams has started to emerge as a playmaker — something that will be important this week as Oklahoma plays two winnable games against Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
Williams was a key contributor against Mississippi State. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native scored a career- high 13 points, giving the Sooners energy and scoring boosts. Williams said he felt more comfortable in the game. It built off a seven-point performance against Baylor earlier in the week. Williams, a 39% 3- point s hooter at Triton, went 5-of-6 from behind the arc last week.
While Williams is starting to emerge as a contributor for OU, the impact he can have on a team has already been shown.
Triton went 63-8 over Williams' two seasons. The Trojans won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division-II championship his freshman season—the first national title in men's basketball in the school's history. Triton moved up to NJCAA D-I for Williams' sophomore season and enjoyed more success.
Williams averaged 14.7 points per game over two seasons at Triton, and his former coaches and teammates have continued to support him from afar.
“Everybody is really rooting for him,” Christiansen said. “He's the best one I've ever had.”
It was Williams' ability to make those around him better, Christiansen said, that made him so good. Triton used Williams as a playmaker, capitalizing on his passing ability. He's a scorer at OU.
Christiansen said playing in junior college helped Williams get used to the schedule and the work required in college basketball.
“I would say probably what helped him more than anything was just the introduction to the daily grind that it takes to be good in anything in life,” Christiansen said.
When OU coach Lon Kruger put Williams in the starting lineup in place of freshman De'Vion Harmon earlier this season, Kruger said the goal was to get a scoring bump from Williams. That scoring bump didn't come in Williams' five starts, but he has started to emerge.
Williams' mother, Latashia Malone, knows her son has had to adjust to playing at a higher level. She thinks he's handled it well. He's getting more comfortable with the team and it is starting to show. Williams is averaging 6.1 points per game so far this season.
“It's been a really big transition from juco going to D-I,” Malone said. “But I think he's doing a good job.”