Last summer, Morgan Park Academy’s Tiara Williams literally became a Gym Rat.
And she got very familiar with Interstate 65 in the process.
In a quest to make her game better, the sophomore point guard joined the Indy Lady Gym Rats based in Indianapolis in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.
“They played and practiced on the weekend, so they drove me down there,” Williams said. “I found them through Instagram and social media. The league has girls from all over the country.
“The Nike circuit is so serious it gets players from all over to play.”
Williams estimated that she made 10 trips to Indianapolis.
“It’s tough, but it’s worth it,” she said. “It’s going to get you to the next level. With hard stuff like that, you just have to keep working. I learned that you can’t take off on anything.
“You have to eat right. You have to work. You have to keep going. I got better on defense because everyone is fast and you have to stop them. I got better seeing the floor.”
On the floor for high school, Williams looks like a next-level player.
The 5-foot-9 Williams scored her team’s first 13 points Wednesday and finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Warriors in a 61-24 nonconference victory over South Holland’s Unity Christian in Chicago.
Anna Sheppard added nine points and five steals for Morgan Park Academy (14-2), while Cecelia Drown tallied nine points on three 3-point baskets. Taniya Rockwood led Unity (7-6) with 10 points.
Heading into the game, Williams was averaging 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.0 steals. While her scoring numbers are slightly down from 29 points as a freshman, the rest of her game has gone up, according to Tom Drahozal, who’s in his 31st year as the Warriors’ coach.
“There is growth and maturity that has taken place big time,” Drahozal said of Williams. “Teams throw box-and-ones at her and double teams on her and a triangle-and-two with two on her. Her composure at being able to handle that is beyond the level of a sophomore.
“We knew going into the season this is what teams were going to try to do, but it also lays down the challenge to the rest of the team. They have to help scoring, taking the double teams off her.”
Last winter, Williams was named second team all-state by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as she ended up with 881 points.
She scored her 1,000th career point in early December and will be taking aim at program-record holder Isis Rodriguez, who graduated in 2018 after scoring 1,705 points.
“Isis was a pure scorer,” Drahozal said of Rodriguez. “She was a very good shooter, but she was not an all-around player that Tiara is.”
Morgan Park Academy has won 10 regional titles, including four straight. The Warriors did not graduate anyone from a team that went 26-5 last season, so Williams is hoping this group can take that next step and win a sectional.
For anyone wondering if she plans on staying at Morgan Park Academy or bolting in the future for a more high-profile school, consider the fact that her father, Vinson, is the school’s athletic director. She has grown up around the Warriors’ program.
Vinson helped Tiara discover her love of the game.
“I started playing basketball when I was 6,” she said. “My dad got me started with an AAU team, the Angels out of Homewood. He played for Hillcrest and then he came here.
“He likes to say he was better than me, but he is very supportive. He helps with my training outside of school, and I really appreciate that.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
