Kents Williams Healthy; Poised for Big Year
Because of the emphasis put on summer basketball in today’s recruiting landscape, a rising senior prospect would rather play through injury rather than risk a chance of being forgotten about in the month of July, even if it means being just a shade of their true self.
That’s exactly what happened to Stefon Williams, a six-foot-seven forward from the Kent School, this summer.
Williams was one of the top players in class A of the NEPSAC last season as a junior, his second season in New England after transferring into Kent for his sophomore year.
He played well during the spring AAU season and was pinging the division I radar at multiple levels heading into the summer before he suffered a bad ankle sprain.
“During the spring I felt one hundred percent and was playing some of the best basketball I’ve ever played,” Williams said. “I was excited to play in the summer, only to get a real bad ankle sprain in the beginning of July.”
Rather than risk being passed over by division I schools, Williams opted to play through his injury to the best of his ability.
“I played through the sprain but I wasn’t able to play the way I was capable of,” he said. “I couldn’t jump or move the way I typically do, and was literally taking lay-ups and grabbing rebounds without taking my feet off the ground.”
“After every game, I felt terrible, not only because of the pain in my ankle, but also because of the way I played.”
To Williams’ credit, he didn’t complain or make a public spectacle of his injury, but unfortunately he paid a price for his toughness.
Because most coaches didn’t realize he was hurt, he was labeled as having a “disappointing summer” and his recruitment dipped as a result.
Given the opportunity to finally let the ankle heel in August, Williams has returned to Kent bigger, stronger, and fully healthy according to head coach Jason Coulombe.
“He’s such a tremendous kid,” Coulombe said, “a leader on the court, in the classroom, and around campus, and he’s playing at a level that far exceeds his recruitment.”
As a highly athletic six-foot-seven forward who can shoot and handle out to 22 feet, it’s hard to fathom that Williams could possibly be under-recruited right now. The reality of the situation is concrete evidence of a currently flawed recruiting model that emphasizes three weeks of summer basketball more so than the rest of the eleven plus months per year.
Fortunately for college coaches, those who do their due diligence have the opportunity for a reprieve as Williams is now open to all suitors and ready to prove himself.
Stefon Williams