Living a life long dream and overcoming adversity are two things that standout as you discuss basketball with senior guard Quentin Williams of Ketchum.
“When I was in second or third grade I hung around the boys high school team and became a ball boy for the team coached by Grant Callison,” Williams said. “One of the seniors on that team was Tanner Mouse who I could appreciate, even then, the skill he possessed, and I just wanted to grow up and play like him.”
Ironically, Callison left and returned to Ketchum where he and Mouse are now both assistant coaches on Quentin’s high school team.
Quentin started playing organized ball in fifth grade and progressed rapidly earning a starting spot his freshman and sophomore years. And then came a problem.
“During the summer before my junior year we were playing a summer league game and I tore my ACL and missed all of last year,” said Williams. “It was pretty frustrating not being able to play but I chose to look at it more as a stepping stone instead of a year that was lost.
“Sitting on the bench, I got a chance to see the game from a different perspective of the whole court instead of just my position and I think I learned a lot.”
Quentin played AAU ball this past summer to get himself back up to speed and now is ready to go for his senior year.
“I would like to average 13-17 points a game this year, but I’m more interested in winning. So if I’m having a bad night shooting, I’d rather pass it off to the guys who are hitting and concentrate on doing a better job on defense to help us win,” said Williams, who also runs track in the spring.
Also, as a senior Williams understands he has a responsibility this year as a team leader.
“I think what makes a good leader is being vocal and pushing others to do better than they think they can and also helping “translate’ what the coach is expecting into words and actions that the younger kids can understand,” said Williams, who hopes to play college ball somewhere and says he would like to be remembered as a guy you could look up to and one that established a good example of hard work.
