BOYS' BASKETBALL; LOOKING ONBRIGHT SIDE Q.H. SOPHOMORE MYCHAEL WILLIAMS MAKING AN IMPRESSION WITH POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND GAME.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer QUARTZ HILL - Mychael Williams is just a sophomore making his varsity boys' basketball debut at Quartz Hill High. But he has already made an impression on his coach Bernard Nichter, and it's not measured in scoring average or total assists or free-throw percentage. ``I would say he's the most positive and optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op person I've ever been around,'' Nichter said. ``Nothing fazes him as far as if he makes a couple bad plays in the game, it just doesn't bother him. He doesn't get down on himself or his abilities.'' Williams says he has no reason not to be content with himself. ``I take it as I'm a sophomore playing varsity. Anything I can get, I'll take it. If I get a minute of (playing time), I'm taking it,'' Williams said. ``I'm just positive that I'm playing varsity.'' He's a starter now, too, having established himself during Quartz Hill's appearance in the Valencia Winter Slam tournament in December. Since joining veterans Tony Johnson
Tony Johnson is a former American football wide receiver. He played collegiately at Penn State football from 2000 to 2003. and Kevin Johnson Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966 in Sacramento, California) is a retired American basketball point guard who played for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns. in the Rebels' three-guard rotation, Williams is averaging 12 points per game. Quartz Hill (4-1 Golden League, 14-6 overall) hosts league-leading Littlerock (5-0, 16-5) tonight in a showdown for first place. The big-game atmosphere won't frighten fright·en v. fright·ened, fright·en·ing, fright·ens v.tr. 1. To fill with fear; alarm. 2. Williams. ``Basketball is such a game of confidence, that it's a situation where he never doubts himself. The next pass is going to be the perfect pass. The next shot is going to go in,'' Nichter said. ``I've never seen anybody like that.'' Not when you consider Williams' age. Nichter was hesitant hes·i·tant adj. Inclined or tending to hesitate. hes  i·tant·ly adv. to
promote him to the varsity, fearing Williams would be overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. or suffer a bruised bruise v. bruised, bruis·ing, bruis·es v.tr. 1. a. To injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of (part of the body) without breaking the skin, as by a blow. b. ego facing older and more mature players. Williams began slowly and played limited minutes, backing up Kevin Johnson at the point but eventually earning a spot on the wing despite standing just 5-foot-7. Without the burden of having to be a ballhandler against pressure defenses, Williams thrived while focusing more on shooting and playing Quartz Hill's style of trapping trapping, most broadly, the use of mechanical or deceptive devices to capture, kill, or injure animals. It may be applied to the practice of using birdlime to capture birds, lobster pots to trap lobsters, and seines to catch fish. defense. Nichter had enough confidence to give Williams the defensive assignment on Palmdale senior guard Eric Brown Eric Brown is the name of several people:
``Mychael doesn't have any problem going against anybody,'' Nichter said. ``We played our first big game (against Lynwood) in the Valencia tournament. . . . And we had some guys who were nervous. We went out and turned the ball over a lot. Ill tell you what, I put Mychael in the game. And Mychael . . . just goes. Everybody that Lynwood had, he just took the ball to him. He didn't care if anybody thought those kids were good.'' Williams' fearless demeanor The outward physical behavior and appearance of a person. Demeanor is not merely what someone says but the manner in which it is said. Factors that contribute to an individual's demeanor include tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and carriage. is partly attributed to matching up against Kevin Johnson in practice. The senior is one of the quickest players in the Golden League. ``In my opinion, I think he's the best guard and I have to play against him in every practice. So I'm pretty prepared for every game,'' Williams said. Playing tailback tail·back n. Football The back on an offensive team who lines up farthest from the line of scrimmage. tailback Noun Brit a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction and cornerback for the Rebels' varsity football team in the fall helped Williams in the transition to playing varsity basketball. And he knows as a sophomore his older teammates - Quartz Hill has three seniors and a junior flanking flanking method of restraint in calves. The animal is thrown by the operator reaching across the animal's back, grasping the loose flank and lifting it off its feet. him in the starting five - can take over if his shots aren't falling. ``If I miss a shot, I don't think we're going to lose. We have others who can step up and be on. It doesn't bother me at all,'' Williams said. ``Just try to go and make the next shot.'' Perhaps Williams doesn't know anything else but to be calm on the court. Just ask his teammates. ``He's not really afraid of having to look bad. He can fit in and just have fun around the other seniors,'' senior center Sahael Almuallem said. ``He definitely has the attitude that he can take care of business . . . He's never afraid of anybody or anything because everything's new to him. WILLIAMS FILE School: Quartz Hill Year: Sophomore Position: Guard Quote: ``Mychael doesn't have any qualms about shooting . . . There's no second-guessing as far as if he's missed a shot. He's out shooting it again.'' - Quartz Hill coach Bernard Nichter GOLDEN LEAGUE SHOWDOWN A quick look at tonight's Littlerock-Quartz Hill boys' basketball game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Quartz Hill: --The records: Littlerock 16-5 overall, 5-0 in Golden League; Quartz Hill 14-6, 4-1. --First meeting: Jan. 7, Littlerock won 67-64. --Littlerock starters: Senior F Gene Myvett, Senior C Brandon White Brandon Christian White (December 22, 1972- current, born in Baltimore, MD) is an entrepreneur known as an internet pioneer for starting an internet site called ChesapeakeAngler.com in 1995 which later became the better know recreational fishing site called WorldWideAngler.com. , Sophomore F Franklin Robinson, Senior G Justin Berkley, Senior G Jose Zavala. --Quartz Hill starters: Senior C Sahael Almuallem, Senior F Jared Copenring, Senior G Tony Johnson, Junior G Kevin Johnson, Sophomore G Mychael Williams. CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: Mychael Williams of Quartz Hill is starting for the Rebels despite being just a sophomore. He leads Q.H. against Littlerock in Foothill League showdown. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer Box: (1) Williams File (see text) (2) Golden League Showdown (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion