A bright spot for Shepard’s boys has been the play of freshman Amari Williams.
“I’ve been trying to build up my role a little bit recently and try to help more defensively and offensively,” Williams said.
Williams delivered a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) in Shepard’s 76-68 loss to Evergreen Park on Feb. 14.
Astros coach Corey Wolf has liked the improvement he’s seeing out of Williams.
“He’s growing into himself,” Wolf said. “At the beginning, you have that freshman on varsity feeling and people expect big things so it’s a lot of pressure.
“He had a great game (against Evergreen Park). I feel like now he’s settled in and understands his role. I’m very happy with his progress.”
A recent area of focus for Williams has been rebounding.
“I could have grabbed more boards,” he said. “I feel I have to do better.”
Williams has benefited from working with his senior teammate Jovan Thomas, an exceptional post player. The two have known each other since before high school.
“He helped me a lot, like becoming tougher and post work, as well as rebounding,” Williams said.
Aurion Lee-Barnes had 20 points (15 in the second half) and Thomas had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Astros (11-17, 2-10 South Suburban Red).
“This group is very talented,” Wolf said. “I think we’re a lot better than what our record is right now. It’s just a matter of developing the consistency of this team for a full four quarters.”
The post Freshman Amari Williams steps up for Shepard appeared first on Southwest Regional Publishing.