Sheldon teammates D'Erryl Williams and Dakarai Allen flew down to San Diego last Friday to witness Midnight Madness with the San Diego State Aztec basketball program. Allen made his commitment to the Aztecs last month. Williams made his desicion during an official visit this past weekend.
The Sheldon point guard had no intention of making a commitment, as he was there to take in the city, college, and basketball program. He planned to take this fact-finding trip and go home to evaluate with his family before visiting Loyola Marymount the following weekend.
But for the 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds Williams, everything fell into place. The key factors that mattered to him in no specific order included the community, weather, academics, basketball program, coaching, style of play, and team chemistry. In addition, his father has asked him to answer the hypothetical question, "If basketball was not a factor, would you be able to attend this college for all the non-basketball reasons?"
After arriving on Friday, Allen and Williams attended Midnight Madness as they sat in the student section, also known as "The Show." Williams liked the student enthusiasm and the overall atmosphere of the event.
On Saturday, Williams attended the first Aztec practice of the season from 1-3:30pm. He observed a competitive practice that had a lot of teaching, direction, and encouragement from the coaches. The coaches challenged the players as Head Coach Steve Fisher iterated to each player on the current roster to challenge himself and to dig deeper. Both Williams II and his father share that philosophy. As a result, watching the first season's practice really impressed him as they skipped the evening football game.
The fast tempo style, pushing the ball up the court, and intense defense were trademarks of the type of basketball that Williams likes. The Aztecs also allow the players to make decisions on their own, as Coach Fisher does not micromanage his players but lets his players play.
Former Pleasant Grove guard, Xavier Thames, was Williams' host for the weekend. He considers Thames to essentially be a big brother. And Allen has been a teammate of Williams since the seventh grade.
The Sheldon point guard liked the cool San Diego weather, which was a factor for him as he was tiring of the dry Sacramento heat. The overall San Diego State community was positive to him.
The Pittsburgh Panthers were coming on strong of late and Loyola Marymount was scheduled to be his other official visit next week. But all the pieces fell into place this mid-October weekend for Williams. Watch him lead Sheldon to another run at league this fall before he heads to San Diego State who joins the Big West Conference in 2013.
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