Williams runs the South Bay Saints, a basketball program he founded in the Gilroy area in 2003. His hoops raison d'être is "when this is all over, bring back a college education and contribute to the community."
He first ventured into hoops territory years ago with the Arizona Stars, a basketball travel team in the the Grand Canyon State. This despite starting out as a football and baseball participant himself and also later coaching those sports.
His basic policy is "working with kids others don't. If they love the game and are willing to work hard, it's giving give them the opportunity to prepare for the future. Academics is #1 with us and we're proud of that."
Next level has a special meaning for Williams and Company. To most, it's either landing a athletic scholarship at a prestigious school or making it in the NBA. With the Saints, the definition of success is extended to also include the development of fundamentals and skills sets that earn a spot on a high school or junior high roster.
Despite the horror stories of AAU parental overinvolvement, Williams is grounded in the basics. It's "be prepared and know the rules of engagement" and he cites his background as a technology director and having worked at a number of prominent Silicon Valley-based companies as preparation. In fact, a broken ankle in his playing days actually resulted in an even stronger educational direction and now, "I'm living the dream."
Throughout the Saints organization, the mantra is "be humble, focused and all business." He has worked with prospects well known throughout the Bay Area, "adding to what they had. But we are not going to chase anyone. Having kids go on to college [whether they plays sports or not] is accomplishing my goal as a leader and mentor."
"Sometimes I'll get asked by players how they can repay me -- I'll tell them to reach back and help someone younger and we're good."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment