Howland’s Williams prefers wins over individual stardom

The modest and unselfish senior headed for Lehigh has become Howland’s leader.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

HOWLAND — Howland senior Alexa Williams is a little like a soloist who keeps trying to rejoin the choir. She doesn’t mind being a standout, so long as she doesn’t have to stand out.

“She’s always kind of played in the shadows of some of the other great players we’ve had,” said Tigers coach John Diehl. “She’s always been more team-oriented.

“She’d rather pass than score a lot.”

It’s a good instinct, particularly if you’re a point guard or, say, 5-foot-3. But Williams is 6-1 — at least — with a wingspan of someone taller and the type of athleticism you don’t often see in a girls basketball player. (Williams can actually jump up and curl her fingers over the rim.)

Despite not being a true scorer, she’s about 150 points away from 1,000 for her career. Williams scored 23 points in an easy win over East Liverpool last week. The next day at school, Diehl came up to her and complimented her for being aggressive. He added he’d like to see a few more games like that.

“She said, ‘I don’t want people to think I’m a ball hog,’ ” Diehl said, laughing. “I said, ‘You need to be a ball hog. You can shoot the ball every time down the floor, as far as I’m concerned.’

“She needs to start taking games over.”

“Everyone tells me that,” Williams said. “But I don’t like to be a ball hog. I’ve never been that type of player. I try to be unselfish. I don’t care about scoring the most points.”

Williams is averaging 14 points this season for the Tigers (7-1, 4-1), whose lone loss came against Canfield last week when she battled foul trouble. Williams and senior Kelly Barzak create a terrific tandem in the post, creating matchup problems for every opponent. Last season, Williams played in the shadows of Kent State recruit Ellie Shields. With Shields gone, Williams has stepped into more of a leadership role.

“Her defense has improved 100 percent this year,” said Diehl. “Ellie used to have to tell her what to do, now she’s running the show defensively. And her jump stop is unstoppable. She’s really developed that over the last year.

“If we can just get her to be a little more aggressive, she’ll turn into even more of a force.”

Williams’ ability doesn’t stop on the court. She carries a 3.6 grade point average in the classroom, which was a big reason she chose little-known Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., over schools such as Toledo and Kent State.

“I wanted to go to a really good academic school and I wanted it to be one where I could get in on my grades alone,” said Williams. “My friend told me about Lehigh and when I visited, I just fell in love with it.”

And the fact that it’s an hour drive from New York City?

“That was just a plus,” she said.

Diehl, who has sent several players to Division I schools over the years, always emphasizes the need to choose academics over athletics when choosing a school.

“Lehigh is a tremendous academic school,” said Diehl, adding the tuition costs are close to $50,000 a year. “That’s a pretty good deal.”

Williams wasn’t just excited about her choice. She was also excited to get the recruiting process behind her.

“I didn’t enjoy it too much,” said Williams, whose initial plans are to major in psychology. “I guess I was too stressed out. I felt overwhelmed and I had no idea where I wanted to go.

“Now I have nothing to worry about. I can just play basketball.”

Although many people figured losing Shields and guard Melissa Airhart to graduation would set the Tigers back, Howland has proved resilient — and talented.

“Last year, it was so easy just to pass it in to Ellie,” said Williams. “I think we pass a lot better as a team this year and we’re faster. We’re a whole different team.”

But their goal remains the same. Last year’s team also lost to Canfield in the first meeting, forcing them to win the rematch at home to claim a share of the Metro Athletic Conference title. Time will tell whether this year’s Tigers can repeat the feat.

“I can’t wait,” Williams said of the second Canfield game. “I’m already excited.”

scalzo@vindy.com