On Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, Plymouth Whitemarsh senior Alynna Williams signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Philadelphia University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Alynna Williams – Philadelphia University (Basketball)
Major: Occupational Therapy
What was the progression that led you to playing basketball at the collegiate level? “I fell in love with the game at a young age, and ever since I was the age of nine, I knew I would be playing somewhere in college. I began thinking about college when I started AAU basketball. Philly U came to my summer league game during my junior year, and I was then invited down to the school where I met the coaches. During the second meeting, I was offered a full scholarship to play basketball. I look forward to playing for Philadelphia University.”
Coach Daniel Dougherty says: “What makes her special, what makes her the next level type player is her quickness. She has one of the quickest first steps I have ever seen. She’s able to do a lot off of it. She’s able to finish with both hands, and she’s able to bounce back and hit a jump shot. She’s a really, really good knock-down three-point shooter. If there’s a drive and kick or an inbounds play, that’s when she shoots her best from three-point range.
“Something else that makes her really special this year that’s taken her to the next level is her on-the-ball defense. She’s guarding the other team’s best player. It’s her quickness and her ability to stay in front and anticipate steals. She’s averaging three steals a game. With the rest of the team improving, she’s able to anticipate the pass and turn it into a transition layup.
“She is the storybook of how things are supposed to go. Unfortunately, she lost her freshman year to injury, but her sophomore year, she was probably one of – if not the best player on the team. We had five seniors who had put their time in, so she was the sixth man, and she embraced that role and learned how to play at the varsity level. Last year she played alongside Asia Baker and Rachel Konowal and got to play in a system where the ball got shared between three kids and learned it doesn’t have to be all about her. She probably could have gotten Division One offers, but she stepped away from AAU after her sophomore year and I guess enjoyed our style of basketball and wanted to take a break from the game. It kind of rejuvenated her for her junior year. She scored about 10 points a game her sophomore year and scored 16 a game her junior year. Sometimes it’s important to take a break and kind of back away. She played for us in the summer and fall.
“This year she didn’t play AAU. She was content just working out with us and working on becoming a better all-around player, and this year she’s really matured into a leader. We have a nice balanced team but a lot of youth. We still share the ball just as well. Amazingly enough, she’s scoring more points a game this year than last year. It’s because she accepts the idea of a system and shares the basketball. Also, her defense has probably led to four to six points a game this year. She’s hands down the vocal leader of the team in the locker room. She’s everything you’d want a captain to be. If things are going bad, everything is we - not you. We do competitive drills at practice where the losing team has to run, and she’ll hop in and run the sprint with them. That kind of echoes through the team. When the losing team has to run, Alynna jumps in, and pretty soon the whole team jumps in.
“Philly U has been her number one choice since she was a sophomore, before any other school started to look at her. She’s very close with her mother and father, and now they’ll be able to see her play. It’s a good story. I love when kids stay close to home and make their family a priority and school a priority. I’ve been to Philly U coaching clinics, and Herb Magee and Tom Shirley are phenomenal teachers of the game.”
About Alynna:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite music: Rap, R&B, Country
- Log in to post comments
