Post by elp525 on May 4, 2011 7:44:48 GMT -5
05/03/2011
Chip Fontanazza
Morgantown
The Mountaineer basketball team will gain another walk-on from the Mountain State for next season in Logan guard Paul Herbert Williamson. He will join Craig Carey (Morgantown) and Jake Ferguson (Nicholas County) as the only other state natives on WVU’s roster.
Williamson helped lead the Logan Wildcats to the 2010 State Championship and last season averaged over 24 points per game. The 6-foot-2 guard had offers from almost every Division II school in the state and was getting interest from BYU, Utah State, Wolford, Wright State, Elon and many others. He also had an offer to walk on at Marshall, but turned it down for a chance to play for Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers.
“It was a tough decision because I’ve gotten a lot of looks from a lot of schools, but I wanted to stay close to home and I wanted to be around my family and I wanted to play at a high level Division I school to see what I’m made of,” said Williamson.
The southern West Virginia native can consistently make jump shots from well beyond the 3-point line and that will be the one area that he will help the Mountaineers out the most.
“Offensively I think he’s as good as most Division I guys,” said Logan head basketball coach Mark Hatcher. “There aren’t too many guys that can go out and make 25 or 26-foot jump shots consistently like he can. He shoots a very high percentage from the 3-point line.”
Williamson is also the all-time leading scorer in Logan High School history and was a first-team Class AAA All-State selection this past season. Williamson knows all about the type of coach Bob Huggins is and he plans on working hard for him every single day.
“One thing I like about Huggins is if you play hard for Huggins and you get out there and work your tail off and prove you can play he’s going to give you minutes,” said Williamson. “I really believe I can contribute.”
There weren’t too many players from southern West Virginia who have gone on to have great success at the Division I level and Williamson is hoping he can find that success in Morgantown. He wants to prove a lot of doubters wrong and show them he can play at the Division I level and can compete in the toughest conference in America, the Big East.
“I’m really set on going up there and working my way into playing,” said Williamson. “I’m going to work hard and I’m going to go up there and I’m just going to give it my best shot.”
Hatcher says when Williamson was being recruited there were a lot of teams that weren’t too confident in his abilities.
“It’s he’s too short or a little bit too slow or can’t jump high enough, but yet he can shoot 28-foot jumpers,” stated Hatcher. “There are things that he can do and coach Huggins is known to make every play defense and everybody has to be tough to play for him.”
That toughness is something Williamson is going to pack with him and bring to Morgantown. He is set to arrive at the beginning of June and that’s when he will try and prove he can play for the state’s flagship university.
“I think he’s going to get 100 percent support from our community and our area,” said Hatcher. “Paul is a southern West Virginia boy, there is no doubt about it, and I think all of the southern West Virginia counties will be behind him.”
Chip Fontanazza
Morgantown
The Mountaineer basketball team will gain another walk-on from the Mountain State for next season in Logan guard Paul Herbert Williamson. He will join Craig Carey (Morgantown) and Jake Ferguson (Nicholas County) as the only other state natives on WVU’s roster.
Williamson helped lead the Logan Wildcats to the 2010 State Championship and last season averaged over 24 points per game. The 6-foot-2 guard had offers from almost every Division II school in the state and was getting interest from BYU, Utah State, Wolford, Wright State, Elon and many others. He also had an offer to walk on at Marshall, but turned it down for a chance to play for Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers.
“It was a tough decision because I’ve gotten a lot of looks from a lot of schools, but I wanted to stay close to home and I wanted to be around my family and I wanted to play at a high level Division I school to see what I’m made of,” said Williamson.
The southern West Virginia native can consistently make jump shots from well beyond the 3-point line and that will be the one area that he will help the Mountaineers out the most.
“Offensively I think he’s as good as most Division I guys,” said Logan head basketball coach Mark Hatcher. “There aren’t too many guys that can go out and make 25 or 26-foot jump shots consistently like he can. He shoots a very high percentage from the 3-point line.”
Williamson is also the all-time leading scorer in Logan High School history and was a first-team Class AAA All-State selection this past season. Williamson knows all about the type of coach Bob Huggins is and he plans on working hard for him every single day.
“One thing I like about Huggins is if you play hard for Huggins and you get out there and work your tail off and prove you can play he’s going to give you minutes,” said Williamson. “I really believe I can contribute.”
There weren’t too many players from southern West Virginia who have gone on to have great success at the Division I level and Williamson is hoping he can find that success in Morgantown. He wants to prove a lot of doubters wrong and show them he can play at the Division I level and can compete in the toughest conference in America, the Big East.
“I’m really set on going up there and working my way into playing,” said Williamson. “I’m going to work hard and I’m going to go up there and I’m just going to give it my best shot.”
Hatcher says when Williamson was being recruited there were a lot of teams that weren’t too confident in his abilities.
“It’s he’s too short or a little bit too slow or can’t jump high enough, but yet he can shoot 28-foot jumpers,” stated Hatcher. “There are things that he can do and coach Huggins is known to make every play defense and everybody has to be tough to play for him.”
That toughness is something Williamson is going to pack with him and bring to Morgantown. He is set to arrive at the beginning of June and that’s when he will try and prove he can play for the state’s flagship university.
“I think he’s going to get 100 percent support from our community and our area,” said Hatcher. “Paul is a southern West Virginia boy, there is no doubt about it, and I think all of the southern West Virginia counties will be behind him.”
