Williams brings Thornton passion
Derrick Williams thrives in second season as captain for Thornton
Thornton junior point guard Derrick Williams is in his second season as captain.
Thornton junior Derrick Williams possesses many admirable traits.
The 6-foot-3 point guard leads the team with 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game.
He’s second on the team in scoring at 10 points. He also averages 1.5 steals and has a 3.6 GPA.
But what Thornton fans may find most endearing about Williams is his passion for wearing the vaunted purple and white.
“It means a lot,” Williams said. “You step onto that gym floor and you see all the banners, you just have to give it your best effort every day and play well.
“There’s all the alumni. I have a lot of Thornton pride. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
With that type of maturity and understanding, it’s no wonder
Willams has been twice voted team captain — before he’s even reached his senior year.
Coach Tai Streets couldn’t come up with enough superlatives to describe Williams and what he has meant this season to Thornton (9-6).
“He’s the complete package,” Streets said. “He does everything for us. He’s our best passer and rebounder. He had straight A’s in the classroom last quarter.
“He bleeds purple and is an
unbelievable leader. He’s a special, special kid.”
Williams’ ability to handle the ball, crash the boards, score from the perimeter and fearlessly drive to the basket is rare.
It’s worth noting Williams’ star power isn’t relegated to the basketball court. He’s the starting quarterback in football.
In fact, he considers football his first love.
“Football is a different feeling, a different mindset,” Williams said. “I love football, and if I had to choose, that’s what I want to play in college.”
For now, Williams is determined to lead the Wildcats to a successful basketball season with an eye toward next year in football.
The goal is the same for both sports.
“I just want to win,” Williams said. “Thornton is a great place. Coach Streets and (football) coach (Dontrell) Jackson are great coaches and people. They played here and came back to coach. You look up to those guys.”
Oak Forest rolling: With two juniors and a freshman in the starting lineup, Oak Forest was expected to experience some ups and downs.
So far, it has been mostly up for the Bengals (13-4, 4-2), who are two wins from matching last season’s total.
“I’m extremely happy with how we’re playing,” Oak Forest coach Matt Manzke said. “We’re a young team. Our seniors are doing a nice job leading us and our younger guys are learning at a faster pace than we probably anticipated.”
Ethan Balinao and Adrian Gonzalez are two seniors who started last season.
Balinao, a 6-1 guard, and Gonzalez, a 5-9 point guard, have team-first characteristics, according to Manzke.
Balinao buried a 3pointer at the buzzer Friday to lift the Bengals to a 56-53 overtime win over Shepard.
“It was special for me to see Ethan do that his senior year,” Manzke said. “He’s our leader.”
The Bengals have four players capable of leading them in scoring on any given night.
Juniors Jayson Kent and Juan Avila, freshman Robbie Avila and Balinao can put the ball in the basket.
Kent scored 25 points against Shepard.
Manzke believes that Robbie Avila, a 6-6 center and brother of Juan, has star potential.
“He’s going to be a special, special player,” Manzke said. “Robbie and Juan make some incredible passes to each other. It’s fun to watch.”
Did you know? Lemont graduate PJ Pipes, a sophomore guard for Green Bay, is averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists.