By Chau Tang
Every athlete wants to showcase their talents and that is what Rashad Williams did.
Former Cleveland State coach Gary Waters and his staff recruited Williams, and when the Vikings hired Dennis Felton as the head coach, Felton’s staff recruited Williams with even more fervor.
Williams is from Wayne, Michigan and he is one of the top point guards in the state.
He said he picked Cleveland State because he got along with the coaching staff and felt that the staff was “genuine.”
Williams said he has spoken with Coach Felton more often and was in contact almost every day to see how things are. The topic of conversation ranged from basketball to family talk and to Williams himself.
“That’s big for me,” Williams said.
He added that Cleveland State admired his competitiveness and ability to score.
“There’s a lot of things that they see that they recognize that I feel like other people don’t recognize,” Williams said.
Williams also said most schools underrated his dribbling abilities but Cleveland State did not.
Williams helped lead the Wayne Memorial Squad to a 19-4 record and the team’s first division crown since 2009. Although the team lost to Romulus High School, Jarret Smith, Romulus’ coach, had kind words about Williams’ abilities and said he is a great player. Williams scored 25 points and hit seven 3-point shots in the contest.
Williams averaged 24 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds last season and he led his team to winning a Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) championship while managing his reputation as one of the top 3-point shooters in the state.
Williams became the first player at Wayne to earn Associated Press first-team all-state honors in 20 years and compiled 78 3-pointers on the season.
In the 75-68 district finals loss to Romulus, he scored 29 points and made 8-11 3-pointers.
Williams plays the point guard position. A point guard is expected to run the team’s offense by controlling the ball and being a distributor to other players on the team.
Williams will be a great asset to the Vikings, he is a great player who is quick on his feet and is known for his dribbling abilities.
He is ranked as one of the top point guards in the state of Michigan because of how well he plays, and is looking to continue his successful career as a Viking.