By Derrick Smith

Life has a fun way of bringing things back around full circle. Quentin Williams was the ball boy for the high school basketball team when he was in the second or third grade. During that time, he looked up to the players and wanted to play just like them, especially one.

“When I was younger, I got to travel with the basketball team and be the ball boy,” he said. “I looked up to those guys because they were older and bigger. But there was one guy that I really looked up to. His name was Tanner Mouse, and he went on to play college basketball at Northeastern State University. Now he is an assistant coach on my team. He has helped me so much along the way.”

Williams is a junior at Ketchum High School where he is a member of the basketball and track teams. He plays point guard and shooting guard on the basketball court and has played basketball for about ten years. Over that time, he has seen himself grow and become the player that he is today. One of the most important things he has learned along the way is to be patient.

“In order to be successful, you have to love the process,” he said. “You can’t get to where you want to be if you dread doing what it takes to get there. It is always a great feeling when you are able to see all that hard work pay off. One of my proudest career accomplishments is making the conference All-Star team during my freshman and sophomore years. This would not have been possible if I had not been willing to work.

As a student in the classroom, Williams has learned from some really solid teachers. But out of all of them, he says that there is one that he would say is his favorite.

“Ms. Hartsock is a great teacher,” he stated. “She has taught me that progress takes time, and you can only take one step at a time.”

Along with playing sports, Quentin is also a member of the Ketchum media team.

“Most people have the will to win. Few have the will to prepare to win.”