Williams Patiently Waiting For Season Opener
10/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2011
By Tori Cummings, TCU Media Relations Student Intern
Williams was homeschooled alongside her siblings from pre-school through high school. Williams' mom, who spent four years teaching in a private school, was her teacher.
"Having that teaching experience and seeing the kind of environment kids were learning in, she and my dad felt the best method of education for us was to be taught at home," said Williams.
Being homeschooled allowed Williams to do things at her own pace. She worked hard to complete her school assignments so she could get out on the basketball court or do other activities. In high school, Williams joined the Texas Home Educators Sports Association (THESA) to play basketball.
THESA doesn't have any rules regarding which schools their teams play for. Their schedule includes private and public schools across the state and other homeschooled teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
"Each year, we seemed to add more and more challenging schools to the schedule, including some of the top ranked schools in the state," said Williams.
THESA also started a Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle during Williams' junior year. She was selected as an officer for the basketball team her senior year.
Williams helped THESA win the National Homeschool Championship her junior and senior years of high school. She was named MVP of the tournament both years and was also a four-time Homeschool All-America honoree.
There were times when Williams admits that she thought about what it would be like to play for a local high school with a home gym and student section cheering for her. However, Williams never wishes she had gone to an actual high school.
"After gaining the relationships I have and seeing where God has taken me because of it, why would I have it any other way?" said Williams.
When it came to recruiting, Williams knew she wasn't on the radar of most big name colleges, so she took advantage of every opportunity possible to get her name recognized.
"I spent my summers traveling and playing in front of college coaches with some of the best players in the area," said Williams. "Perhaps it was more difficult to get my name out in the open because of home schooling, but my dad worked incredibly hard to find tournaments I could go to."
Williams spent a lot of time weighing her options, including TCU, but she ultimately picked Iowa State when she left THESA.
"After taking several visits to Ames and a lot of thinking and praying, I knew it was where I was supposed to go," said Williams. "I don't regret going for one second."
First year students face a multitude of challenges ranging from new people to new places. Williams faced these problems in addition to learning how to budget her time. She was used to doing things at her pace, a luxury she didn't get in college.
"It was overwhelming at times because I never felt finished with any task," said Williams. "Since I was used to finishing my work before I moved on to something else, I had to learn to prioritize what was really important."
Williams made 14 starts and saw time in all 33 games as a sophomore in Ames, helping the Cyclones reach the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Following her second season at Iowa State though, she decided to transfer closer to home, ultimately to TCU.
"I felt I was being called back to Fort Worth," said Williams. "It's been such a blessing so far and I'm more excited than ever about the opportunity that I've been given here."
With the Horned Frogs picked to finish first in the Mountain West, Williams' first experience playing for a Fort Worth school may be the exciting opportunity she has been anticipating.
