Boys basketball: Cook County All-Area captain Williams finishes 2nd on Fremd’s scoring list, but it’s the wins that mattered most

Fremd’s Jordan Williams knows the comfort of his Chihuahua.

But when he sits and watches game film with “Lemon,” Williams, who is a throwback type player, knows that he can become a player with a killer instinct if needed.

“Jordan Williams is the total package,” Fremd coach Mike Brown said. “He is a great player and great person on and off the court. He is all that a coach could ask for in a high school basketball player. He is a four-year varsity player, three-year starter, and two-year captain. Over time, he has grown from a guy who can score, to a true complete player who leads the team on offense and on defense.”

Williams is coming off a season where he helped lead the Vikings to their second-highest win total in school history with a record of 28-3. Williams broke a school record by shooting 58.8 percent (214 of 364) from the field, breaking the record of 55 percent set by Todd Leslie in 1988.

Williams averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 assists this past season. That came on the heels of a 19-point average last season and 14.4 points in his sophomore season.

For his play this season, as well as his career, Williams is named the captain of the Daily Herald’s Cook County boys basketball All-Area team.

Williams said scoring is not his main goal.

“We had a lot of factors on the team who could participate and do different things,” Williams said. “We had Tommy (Moffett) and Rafael (Pinto), and then guys who came off the bench who were difference makers.”

Williams said being surrounded by talented players made his role easier.

“I know that selfish players can get in the way of teams,” Williams said. “I definitely don't want that because teams like that are underachievers. I just knew I wanted to win. I wanted to make a difference and leave a legacy. It’s just mainly my mentality. Doing what's best for the team. It's always been about the team. I just mainly want to win and that has paid off.“

Brown knows a thing or two about what it takes to be an All-Area captain. Brown, who played at Schaumburg, was named the Cook All-Area captain in 1997 and was a guy who played hard in practice and games.

“Jordan is a guy who gives his best every day,” Brown said. “In practice and in games. You could always count on him day in and day out. And that consistency spread to everyone else on the team. You had to give it your best every day because our best player was giving his best every day.”

In his four seasons, Williams’ teams went 90-27 with two MSL West titles, an MSL championship this season and two regional titles. In addition, Williams led the Wikings to consecutive Wheeling Hardwood Classic titles, the championship of the Fenton tournaments and two titles at the Lakes MLK tournament.

Williams is a three-time Daily Herald All-Area player. He is also a two-time MSL West player of the year, a two-time MVP of the Hardwood Classic, Fenton MVP and two-time leading scorer at Fremd.

Williams finished with 1,639 points, putting him second on the all-time list, just 31 points behind Jason Joseph, who graduated in 1988.

Brown, who took over the head coaching job at Fremd when Bob Widlowoski retired, already had a solid and experienced varsity player in Williams, who is 6-foot-5.

“He’s a very versatile player who does a lot to affect winning,” Brown said. “He is difficult to play against with his combination of size, skill, and speed. He has elite ballhandling, ability to get to the basket, rebounding, finishing ability, and an energy about him that rubs off on his teammates. Maybe most importantly, he cares about winning, so he will do what it takes to win, rather than thinking about how many points he has or shots he is taking.”

Brown said Williams’ approach on and off the court is one of the things that makes him so special.

“What is rare about him is his humility, despite being a star player,” Brown said. “You would never know he is a star based on how he carries himself in the hallways. Polite, respectful, just a good person every day. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad thing about Jordan.”

Brown also said that despite that humility, Williams had a killer instinct when needed.

“There were games at the end where he carried us and put us on his back,” Brown said. “He did a great job of keeping everyone else involved throughout the game, but our team knew it was Jordan’s time at the end. He gave us his best when his best was needed. As the second all-time leading scorer at Fremd and Division I player, he wanted the ball at the end, and that’s the attitude of a great player.”

Williams hit game-winning shots against Palatine, Niles North and Hersey. Williams said that killer instinct is something that was instilled to him from his father Marcus and watching film on Kobe Bryant.

“Watching game film on Kobe, and then just like having my dad in my ear, it prepared me for these moments,” Williams said. “I have always prepared for moments where I'm taking the last shot or trying to execute in high pressure moments. So, working on it with my dad and just watching game film, it all paid off as you saw in the game.”

Brown said Williams knew when to pick the right moments when to step up and take control.

“For a star player, he did a great job of making the right play at the right time,” Brown said. “And he really bought into the idea that for us to be good, his teammates needed to be involved. That is a rare trait in a great player today. It shows his unselfishness and willingness to do what it takes to win. This will help him a lot in college. At the same time though, he was able to carry us at the end of games when we needed it.”

Williams is the only area player to earn a Division I scholarship thus far. He will take his talent, leadership and killer instinct to Illinois State next year where he will study business management.

“Jordan leads by example and action,” Brown said. “His play and production do the talking. But then in critical moments where vocal leadership is required, he says what needs to be said. I just to stress what a pleasure he is to coach, how likable he is, and the esteem our school, community, and program have for him.”