By Joey Papania
LSUsports.net
One of the major keys to the success of any collegiate basketball program is the quality play of its bench. The LSU Tiger basketball team is fortunate to have sophomore Jermaine Williams as a key reserve on a team with limited depth.
Williams, a Baton Rouge product, attended Parkview Baptist High School where he played four years of basketball and competed one season as a long jumper for the track and field team. The 6’6″ 180 pound sophomore earned All-State basketball honors his junior season averaging 17 points a game while aiding Parkview to the AAA state titles in 1997 and 1998. Williams was hampered by injuries his senior season limiting his production to just 13 points and six rebounds per contest.
Williams was an immediate impact in his true freshman season at LSU last year, averaging 20.5 minutes per game. The forward appeared in 20 games with four starts in 1998-99, and his playing time was increased in the latter half of the season due to an injury to Willie Anderson. He took full advantage of the opportunity registering six double-doubles last year, four of those coming during SEC play. So far this year Williams has continued his role as a key reserve.
“My role is to come in and give the guys some help,” said Williams. “If I get a good look I’ll look to shoot, but I need to make sure I get the ball to the big men. We need to keep the big guys happy if we want to keep winning. I just want to come in and be a spark plug off the bench and try to be another coach on the court.”
Williams has done just that. His clutch 3-pointer with 1:16 in the Georgia game gave LSU a 59-54 lead and clinched the win for the Tigers. So what’s the key to this year’s success?
According to the sophomore forward, it’s unselfishness.
“The difference between last year and this year is we’re playing together more,” said Williams. “We are more focused with getting some assists and rebounds and less focused on scoring. We just want to get everyone involved and play within the offense.”
It’s that type of unselfish attitude that has assured the Tigers their first winning season since 1992-93. And the fans have responded to the recent success. LSU is averaging over 9,000 fans a game at home so far this season. As a Baton Rouge native, Williams recalls the support and success of Tiger teams in the past.
“I remember coming when Shaq (O’Neal) and Chris Jackson were here, they used to have the Deaf Meter,” recalls Williams. “The place was always packed, you could hardly find a ticket. We’ve had a couple of games down the stretch with good crowds, hopefully we can keep it up.”
And hopefully Williams can remain healthy for the rest of the season. A knee injury forced him to miss the Oklahoma St. game as well as the start of the SEC. Although he has played significant minutes since the Tennessee game, he doesn’t feel he is 100 percent yet. The sophomore is still battling some tendentious in his left knee but feels he will be ready for the final stretch of the season.
That stretch includes four road games in the SEC. If LSU has any hopes of a strong finish and a possible berth in the NCAA Tournament, they must learn to take care of the basketball. As a team the Tigers are averaging over 17 turnovers a game, 18.5 in conference play.
“We need to be more patient with the ball and make the appropriate pass without being too fancy,” said Williams. “The SEC has some quick guards, but if we can break the press and get it inside, we’ll have a good chance to win the game.”
Jermaine Williams has indeed been a bright spot for the LSU Tiger basketball program. Only time will tell how brightly he will shine.