There once was a time when Naperville Central guard Tessa Williams was content to play defense and pass the ball.
That mindset has become as obsolete as a rotary dial phone.
Williams still concentrates on her best traits, but the 5-foot-5 senior is no longer shy about putting up shots.
“Over the summer, I worked on setting up my feet a lot,” Williams said. “Because when I’m missing my shots, it’s because I’m not setting up and getting in the right stance. This year, I’ve been making sure I’ve got my feet set in the right position and just letting it go.”
Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum has encouraged Williams to shoot — and her teammates to get her the ball.
“Nuss is really helpful with that because he’s always like, ‘Look at Tessa,’” Williams said. “Or he will correct me and tell me what I’m supposed to do instead of just staggering my feet.”
When Williams is on, the results can be staggering. That was the case Monday, when Williams made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points in the Redhawks’ 58-53 overtime loss to Hampshire in the 11th-place game of Dundee-Crown’s Komaromy Classic in Carpentersville.
Williams hoisted a whopping 20 shots in that game. All but two were from beyond the arc.
“I feel like I was pretty hot today, especially with my threes,” said Williams, whose career high is 22 points. “I sometimes drive to the basket, but today I honestly was just letting everything go instead of driving because that’s what I was strongest at today.”
Nussbaum was happy to see it.
“She’s our best perimeter defender, but she’s also a good shooter,” Nussbaum said. “She had a good game today, and honestly I don’t think we got her the ball enough.”
That’s something that never would have been uttered last season, when the offense ran through star point guard Erin Hackett. It still does, but Hackett, a junior who recently scored her 1,000th career point, has some help in shouldering the scoring load for the Redhawks (8-10).
“I feel like she has more confidence this year,” Hackett said of Williams. “She’s stepped into a bigger role of having to step up and make tough shots like she did today.
“She’s taking more opportunities, which is helping the team tremendously.”
Williams’ confidence extends to the free-throw line, where she proved clutch against Hampshire. With the Redhawks trailing 47-44, Williams was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. She calmly made all three foul shots with 11.4 seconds remaining to force overtime.
That even impressed one of the referees, who remarked after the game that you rarely see a high school player make three in a row under such circumstances.
“Every single time I do my free throws, I always say, ‘You better make this,’” Williams said. “I literally say it out loud, and then I just go for it.
“Every single time after a drill, we always practice free throws, so I’m working on my form every single time. During the game, I was just super excited when I was making them.”
Williams is excited to be playing and leading two teams this school year, especially since this will be her last one in competitive sports. She is a midfielder and co-captain for Naperville Central’s girls lacrosse team.
“I was thinking about playing lacrosse in college, but then I fractured part of my back last spring, so I can’t play sports after high school,” Williams said. “But I’m still going to finish out my senior season.”
Hackett said Williams has high expectations for the Redhawks.
“She does keep everybody in line at practice,” Hackett said. “She’s the top captain — I’m behind her — so she tells people where to go and when to be there. She tells them if they’re late and makes them run.”
The Redhawks are hoping to go on a run in the second half of the season. They might pull that off if Williams shoots consistently well from the perimeter and becomes a third reliable scorer alongside Hackett and sophomore center Annabelle Kritzer.
“I think we’re going to be a hard team to guard,” Hackett said. “They’re going to have to start face-guarding Tessa, which is going to open up the floor more for me and Annabelle.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
