Derrick Williams: The Next Big Thing
Arizona Wildcats currently possess one of the best prospects for NBA and that prospect comes in the shape of their power forward Derrick Williams. The 6ft-8in player
has surprised many with his tremendous performances in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament.
The sophomore is currently averaging 19.1 points with 8.1 rebounds per game - a solid ground to his future career. A devastating post scorer and a prolific rebounder
in his own right, Williams led Arizona to the 5th position in the NCAA Tournament last year, where he shot incredible 61.5 percent from the field and also grabbed 11 double-doubles in his 34 appearances.
Williams’ two years of experience with Wildcats saw him earning the distinguished Pac-10 Conference player of the year award in his freshman year. On Monday 14th
March, he was officially selected in the All-American second team.
William shooting prowess also boasts of an extraordinary ability to shoot from downtown. He was the man to watch in 2009-2010 season. Playing in his very first year,
he averaged 15.7 in points, complemented with 7.1 rebounds per game while his field goal percentage remained 0.574.
The young budding star has certainly turned some heads this year and is now constantly being compared to some his better known East Coast colleagues like Kemba Walker
and Jared Sullinger.
Kemba Walker is currently playing with the Connecticut Huskies and recently chosen the Stat-Sheet NCAA Player of the Week while Jared Sullinger is playing with Ohio
Bobcats and won the award of Stat-Sheet NCAA Freshman of the Week.
Derrick might lag a bit when it comes to athleticism and charisma, but his three point shooting ability and offensive rebounds adds an all together new dimension
to his game. His excellent dribbling attributes also go hand in hand and make him one of the selected few in the NCAA, who can play evenly well, both in small forward and the power forward positions.
The 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament kicked off on 15 March. The championship which is played on a single-elimination format features 68 teams and
will close with the championship game on April 4 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Arizona Wildcats will meet the team from Memphis in the first round of this competition. Taking all the permutations and possibilities into account, Arizona could well
have a date with Texas, who boasts a forward prospect of its own in Tristan Thompson. Although, the Wildcats may not have enough depth in their roster to make a deep run into the tourney, commonly known as the March Madness, the NBA fans might get a glance
of the future prodigy Derrick Williams.
Last year, this coveted tournament which is considered as a stepping stone for budding basketball talents, was won by South Carolina with UCLA being the runner ups.
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