Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams has worked his way into being one of the top 5 point guards in the NBA. After finding a couple of articles on him, it is easy to see why he has gotten to the point of being an all-star caliber player. Here is one of the articles on Williams, I will post the second later on. This article is about him being the leader of the 2005 national champ runner-up Fighting Illini and now with the Jazz:HIS TIME
After taking a backseat during high school and college so his teammates could collect accolades, Deron Williams makes his mark with the Jazz as one of the best players in the NBA.
By Kyle Flanagan
You would find it a great challenge to find anybody in the United States who isn’t aware of Utah’s rising point guard Deron Williams.
Such was not always the case.
Williams, a native of the Dallas, Texas area, attended The Colony High School. While at The Colony, he began a reputation as a player who had the skills and the potential to eventually play at the highest level.
The only thing keeping Williams out of the spotlight in high school was the all-encompassing shadow of The Colony superstar Bracey Wright.
“I didn’t get all the accolades in high school. I guess I didn’t score enough or whatever, but my team still won and that’s what I cared about.” Williams said. “A lot of coaches noticed what I did even though people who did rankings and stuff didn’t.”
Wright turned his high school McDonald’s All-American honors into a scholarship at Indiana University and the eventual second round pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Former coach of The Colony High School, Tommy Thomas, knows that without Williams, the careers of Wright and others who played around him may have not blossomed quite as much.
“His role was more of making guys around him better.” Thomas said. “He gave Bracey an opportunity to be a McDonald’s All-American, and at Illinois he gave Dee Brown and Luther Head opportunities to be NCAA All-Americans. Boozer and Okur have become NBA All-Stars and they weren’t before they played with Deron.”
Williams escaped the shadow of Wright and after a successful career at The Colony High School, joined the Illinois University Fighting Illini for the 2002-03 season.
Enter two new shadows, Mr. Chicago Dee Brown and the exciting Luther Head.
Williams spent two seasons taking a back seat to the very personable Brown and the athletic Head in the media and in the public. But Illini coach Bruce Weber was always well aware that the driving force of his successful Illini was Williams, despite the lack of recognition.
After the impressive Illini run that eventually led to the National Championship game in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Brown and Illinois teammate Luther Head received First Team All-American honors, Weber received coach of the year honors. While eating at a restaurant on Final Four weekend in St. Louis, the Illini team saw the honors for Brown, Head and Weber being discussed on television, with no mention of Williams to be found.
“(After seeing the announcements) I’m looking at Deron and I’m thinking, man we don’t need any selfishness or jealously to pop up here while we are trying to win a National Championship.” Weber said. “I went right over to Deron and I said, ‘you know you belong on there and you are the reason we are winning’ he kind of came back and said ‘coach, all I care about is that we’re here, I will get my just due when the time comes.”
Nobody would argue that Brown and Head weren’t major contributors to the run the Illini made in the tournament, but Weber knew how critical it was to his team’s success to have Williams on the floor.
“We won because of Deron.” Weber added. “Dee got the publicity because of his personality and Luther got some attention because he was so explosive athletically. But when it came down to it, Deron was the guy that made us go. He didn’t crave to be in the lime light, all he cared about was winning.”
Williams got his just due when he was made the third overall pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2005 NBA Draft, with him he brought an impressive resume that gave the Jazz confidence that he could fill the point guard void left by the legendary John Stockton.
Now in his third season in the NBA, Williams has earned the respect of some of the best players in the game today.
“He’s been solid all year. He’s really been unbelievable man.” Spurs big man Tim Duncan said after a Jazz 90-64 win over San Antonio. “They had chants of MVP out there and they are well deserved, he’s been tremendous since he stepped in the league and I have a lot of respect for what he does.”
So what is it that makes opponents respect and fear Williams on the court?
There is a certain demeanor and attitude on the court that is visible in Williams when the game clock is winding down and the Jazz are in need of a clutch play. This demeanor and drive on the face of Williams is what leaves Jazz opponents nervous and what makes Jazz fans, coaches and players confident.
“I just try to keep calm and cool because even if you do something good or do something bad, the game still has to be played and finished.” Williams added. “I try to keep it even kill either way.”
However, this calm and collective “bring it on” attitude is not something Williams has developed in just his time with the Jazz.
In fact, fans and coaches of The Colony High School knew who they wanted to be in control with the game on the line.
“I trusted him so much his senior year.” Thomas said. “He knew what I wanted and sometimes he knew what I wanted before I did.”
Williams had no problem carrying that attitude over from high school to his time with the Illini.
“There’s no doubt, that (Williams’ demeanor) is why were able to win Big Ten Championships and advance in the NCAA tournament to the National Championship game.” Weber said. “He would make the plays, not always making the shot, but getting the ball to the right people.”
Weber praised the work ethic of his young point guard and credited the time Williams spent after practice as a major contributor to the development of the now NBA superstar.
“I just continued at Illinois, continued to try and get better and do the things to make my teams successful.” Williams said. “A point guard is judged on wins and losses and we only lost two games my senior year and it set me up perfect.”
Now with the Jazz, the third-year point guard has used his confidence and will to succeed on the court to lead the Jazz to a second consecutive playoff appearance.
As one of only 18 players in the league averaging a double-double this season, Williams’ 19.0 points and 10.6 assists per game are proof that he has escaped the shadows of his high school and collegiate teammates and has began casting his own shadows.
Adding to his shadow is the fact that this season Williams accomplished something only two other players in NBA history have (Magic Johnson and Kevin Johnson) by recording over 1,500 points (1,540), handing out over 800 assists (860) and shooting over .500 (.508) from the field in a single season.
To those who knew him in his younger days, Williams is becoming much more than just a NBA all-star caliber player he is becoming an all-star caliber person.
“That was my question mark, would he have the maturity.” Weber added. “He has defenitly developed as a player, but he has also developed as a person and it’s a great feeling to watch that happen.”
