Warren Williams is The Pride's not-so secret weapon
For the men’s basketball team this season, Aaron Estrada, Tyler Thomas and Jaquon Carlos have taken the charge as the Pride’s offense. However, every team needs a big man to rely on in the paint. Forward Warren Williams has met that responsibility.
Coming from his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, Williams contributed his first four years of basketball with the Manhattan College Jaspers in Riverdale, New York. During his tenure, he racked up 1,004 points in 60 starts and a career-high 27 points on March 9, 2019. The seasoned veteran joined the Pride as a forward and graduate student.
After seeing many looks from the starting position for the Jaspers, Williams had to learn as the “freshman” of the Pride, spending most of his time on the bench. Williams did not step onto the court until Nov. 25, 2022, against the Middle Tennessee University Blue Raiders, five games after the season opener against the Princeton University Tigers on Nov. 7. He finished with six points, two rebounds and two steals. After learning the game one way for four years, it was hard for Williams to adjust the Pride’s style of play.
“In his first couple of games, you could see that he was rusty,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Speedy Claxton. “He couldn’t find his touch around the basket and was constantly getting into foul trouble, so the game had to slow down for him.”
But after a couple of games under his belt, he cracked his first double-digit performance with 12 points and three rebounds on December 11, under the bright lights of the Barclays Center in the loss against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.
After that, Williams started to find his stride in the paint, each performance more consistent than the last. The game where Williams really cemented his game was on the last day of 2022 against the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies. He demonstrated a brilliant match with another 11 points and eight rebounds, including a monstrous dunk, his most memorable play this season.
“Although we lost to A&T State to a buzzer-beater; that fastbreak dunk – that was a good dunk,” Williams said. “I’ve got to get me some more of those.”
Since then, Williams has been the bully no one wants to face in the paint. In his last seven games, he has dealt an impressive 10.8 points per game behind a season-high 18-point game against the Monmouth University Hawks. But for Williams, both those games came out as wins, which is what matters most.
“I was just taking what the offense gave me and following the coaching plan,” Williams said. “It was just my night that night, and hopefully, it can be like that almost every night. But if we get the win, that’s all that matters.”
His 17-point performance against the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens was the subject of a post-game press conference. In addition, Claxton spoke about Williams’ recent performances.
“He’s been tremendous,” Claxton said. “I would say he’s the best big we have had since I’ve been here. He’s alone down there, and we will keep going to him whenever he’s in the game. He changes the game when he comes in for us.”
In any player’s first year with the team, it’s reasonable to think that such a statement coming from the head coach would boost a player’s confidence. Williams, however, wants to remain consistent, regardless of the comment.
“I think it was a really good compliment,” Williams said. “I think he just sees the work, which translates to the floor. I just got to keep working, that’s it.”
Williams’ development under the rim has been one the Pride has needed, with most of their game coming from beyond the 3-point line. However, as it may seem, assistant coach Tom Parotta isn’t surprised about Williams’ recent spark of play from the paint.
“The biggest thing about Warren is that he works so hard, so nobody’s surprised about his development,” Parotta said. “There’s not a day I remember where he didn’t come in and give 100%.”
With today’s basketball overshadowing earlier play styles, most teams rely on perimeter shooting, with 3-pointers making up most of their shots. Most teams play without a big man and have straight shooters to supply the team with points. Williams’ shot obviously isn’t his entire game, but his power and dominance in the paint make him the secret weapon that Hofstra has in their plethora of players.
“These days, big guys want to gravitate toward the perimeter. Big guys are inclined and want to shoot [3-pointers],” Parotta said. “You want big guys to handle the basketball, and Warren knows where his bread is to his butter. He knows he’s a throwback guy who can catch it into the post, score with either hand and has perfect feet. So when you have a guy like that in this day in age, it speaks volumes.”
While Williams holds the authority of the preliminary big man on the Pride, one has to consider the question: is there any consideration to put Williams in the starting lineup? Williams sees it as an opportunity for the team to have a sixth-man mentality.
“You must have a sixth-man-of-the-year mentality,” Williams said. “But besides that, it doesn’t matter as long as we win.”
Claxton had the same mindset when asked whether any conversation took place for Williams to start in the games.
“I like how our team is going. But he is a starter. I was scared to start him because of the way he picked up so many fouls,” Claxton said. “So it would be better for him to come off the bench in case he picks up too many fouls.”
Parotta credited Williams for even being considered for that position in his first year. But he feels that Williams and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, the other forward on the team, balance each other out for the job.
“It’s never really come up, quite honestly,” Parotta said. “But I think it relishes his role coming in. The difference between Nelson and Warren are drastic. Warren is more physical and punishes people in the post, whereas Nelson is the exact opposite. He can dissect people and is an excellent passer. So between the two of them, it really doesn’t matter because that’s one hell of a two-headed monster.”
As the season is winding down to their final eight games. Claxton looks to keep the status quo for Williams before heading to the Colonial Athletic Association playoffs.
“I like the way our team is going, so it’s gonna stay status quo from here on out,” Claxton said. “And the most significant thing for us is if he stays out of foul trouble. If he does that, the more he’s gonna play, because when he’s on the court, he changes our team drastically.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
