Energy the key to Williams’ success

The less Earl shows up, the better for the Hoover High School girls basketball team.

Earl is the name given to the less-productive side of Eboni Williams, a senior and one of the top players for the Lady Bucs. He lacks energy, which happens to be the key trait to Williams’ game on the floor.

While used mostly by Hoover coach Krystle Johnson to playfully antagonize Williams, there is certainly truth within the joke. When Williams doesn’t bring enthusiasm to the floor, the Lady Bucs suffer.

“When she plays with low energy, we play with low energy,” Johnson said.

For many players, defensive effort is a direct correlation to offensive success. Williams tries to avoid that natural tendency and correct things when she notices a drop in her play.

“Sometimes I’ll notice it and talk to myself,” Williams said. “Usually if I’m not doing really well on offense, I will try everything I can to do good on defense.”

But as Williams has matured both physically and as a leader, Earl’s appearances have become less frequent, which bodes to greatly benefit Hoover. The Lady Bucs are on a quest to repeat as Class 7A state champions, after doing so last year with an overtime victory over Spain Park in the final.

“I haven’t seen him in awhile,” Johnson said of Earl.

That’s a good thing, because Williams’ ability to bring energy to the floor is one of the things that caught the eye of several college coaches. She has signed to play at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a team that competes in the Southern Conference in Division I.

“That’s the best thing about her, is that she plays at a high level, and she plays with a lot of energy,” Johnson said.

John McCray served as Williams’ primary recruiter at Chattanooga, but he has since taken a position at Florida. Williams never wavered, though.

“I love Chattanooga,” she said. “When I went down there on one of my visits, my eyes were opened up to a new level of things I never knew. Since then, I would compare other schools to Chattanooga.”

For the Lady Bucs, Williams plays a starring role, but not just in one way. Williams is not the type of player to score half of her team’s points each game. She does lead Hoover in scoring many nights, but her impact is felt most by her emergence in all facets of the game.

“She’s one who fills up the stat sheet offensively and defensively,” Johnson said. “For this team, she was our leading scorer last year, was our leading rebounder last year, she led us in steals. She’s just a person that everybody looks to.”

The 6-footer has been playing basketball since third grade. Despite her dad’s love for the game — having played and coached — it wasn’t him who initially pushed her to give it a try. Williams’ third-grade PE teacher brought up the notion after watching her play a game of bump.

It’s been a steady rise ever since.

Johnson came back to coach her alma mater last year and took over a talented team primed for success. Williams was one of the players with loads of potential ready to be unlocked.

Williams has worked extensively to improve her all-around game since making the varsity team as a sophomore. Offensively, she loves to drive the ball to the basket and score or draw a foul. She also prides herself on being a top-notch defender and rebounder.

But she knows in order to have the same impact on the floor as a college player, there are other facets to improve upon. Notably, Williams has focused a great deal of effort on improving her shooting and ball-handling.

“The more she adds to her game, the more things she can do, which will make her an option in more than just one spot on the court,” Johnson said.

Last season, Williams connected on a single 3-point shot. There isn’t a huge need for her to shoot from deep at the high school level, because she is a matchup nightmare for most opponents. With her combination of height and skill, she almost always has the advantage.

“There’s not many people in this state who are tall and quick enough to guard her,” Johnson said.

In the locker room, Williams is considered one of the team’s leaders, primarily because she’s one of three seniors on the team. But she has embraced her role as well, despite admitting that becoming a leader was “kind of scary.”

“This year, I’m still learning, trying to be a leader, but I’m taking it step by step,” she said.

While her answer may not be entirely convincing, her coach’s is.

“She’s the heartbeat of the team,” Johnson said.

After basketball, Williams’ current plan is to enter the field of physical therapy. In the meantime, she’s focusing on leading the Lady Bucs on the road toward another state title and preparing to be a major factor at Chattanooga in the coming years.

“I look forward to seeing her play the next couple of years,” Johnson said. “I think she can do some big things in the SoCon.”