Local 2021 guard pledges to the Sun Devils
The uncertainty that COVID-19 has created around high school sports in Texas did cause some players in that state to look elsewhere to continue thier prep career. That aspect, along with the desire to receive national exposure, drove 6-6 Demari Williams to transfer to Phoenix's Dream City Christian. This move only accelerated the ongoing recruiting process with the Sun Devils, which culminated with a pledge today to ASU.
It’s been a busy summer for Williams, who ended his junior year named the District 25-4A MVP as a standout in Fulshear High School. He was also a member of the Texas High School Basketball Coaches all-region and all-state team. Williams, who scored over a 1,000 career points in his high school career thus far, averaged 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists per game.
Last June, he decided to transfer to Katy Tompkins High School, but two months later, he decided to join a loaded Dream City Christian squad. As head coach Kyle Weaver describes, his addition will be significant.
“He’s a big guard who is very smooth with the ball,” Weaver said. “He’s a big guard who has a lot of versatility. He has long arms (reportedly a wingspan of 6-10) who loves to work hard. He just keeps his mouth shut and is constantly in the gym working. He craves being coached, which is a lost art with today’s basketball players.”
While being at his new school for just a couple of weeks, Weaver said that Wilima’s shooting abilities have already been demonstrating marked improvement.
“We’ll continue working with him on his three-point shooting and finishing at the rim,” Weaver commented. “We want him to do a batter job with ball handling and shooting off the dribble. I think he can be a true combo guard. He came here to develop, get better, and play against the best of the best. When he first visited here, he came for four days and saw how much better he got every day.”
While Arizona State currently has a loaded roster at the guard position, at the end of this upcoming season, they will lose outgoing senior Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge, and incoming freshman Josh Christopher is a virtual guarantee to be a one-and-done for the team. Therefore, Weaver said he understood why ASU was pursuing such a talented player at that position as Williams.
“I wasn’t surprised that he committed to ASU,” Weaver remarked. “He built a great relationship with (assistant coach) Rashon Burno and had good Zoom conversations with Bobby Hurley. His family moved to Houston from New Orleans, and now they relocated again here (to the Phoenix-area), and not needing to move again is obviously nice.
“So Demari pushed Baylor and TCU aside. Utah and Maryland were recruiting him too. He felt the most comfortable with ASU and what they are building.”
With ten Division I prospects on its roster, with at least a handful of high-major prospects, Weaver sees his newest addition as a player who has yet to reach his full potential.
“Demari is an unselfish player,” Weaver said, “and will do whatever he can do to help the team win. I know what he will give us on offense, and I just want him to improve defensively. All I care about my kids is getting them ready for the next level.
“So the most important thing for me is getting Demari ready to play as a freshman at ASU and possibly start.”
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