When Martel Williams was sidelined by a torn oblique during the 2021-22 season at Southern Utah, he nearly walked away from basketball. “I was kind of losing my motivation to keep playing basketball,” Williams said. “I remember having a conversation with my dad like ‘Man, I don’t know if I still want to play this game.'”
Now the former Silverado High star is a starting guard for California Baptist, which won the WAC tournament title 63-61 over Utah Valley on Saturday at the Orleans Arena. The 13th-seeded Lancers (25-8) face No. 4 Kansas at 6:45 p.m. Friday in San Diego.
Williams, a 6-foot-3 senior, averages 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing 32 minutes per game. His journey included a stop at Utah State Eastern junior college, where he averaged 27 points and 7.8 rebounds, earning a scholarship to Cal Baptist. “One thing I did realize is how much I love the game,” Williams said.
Williams is among several former Las Vegas high school stars in the NCAA tournaments. On the men’s side: Jackson Francois (Bishop Gorman) at Arizona, Pop Isaacs (Coronado) at Texas A&M, Joshua Jefferson (Liberty) at Iowa State, Sebastian Mack (Durango/Coronado) at Missouri, John Mobley Jr. (Bishop Gorman) at Ohio State, Quentin Rhymes (Bishop Gorman) at Nebraska, Xavion Staton (Sierra Vista) at BYU, Milos Uzan (Desert Pines) at Houston, and Darrion Williams (Bishop Gorman) at N.C. State.
In the women’s tournament: Taylor Bigby (Centennial) at TCU, Kaniya Boyd (Centennial) at Tennessee, Grace Knox (Spring Valley) at LSU, and Mary McMorris (Centennial) at Idaho.
Jefferson was named a second-team AP All-American on Tuesday, averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Cyclones. Mobley is Ohio State’s second-leading scorer at 15.7 points per game, shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range. Uzan is a four-year starter for Houston, averaging 11.1 points and four assists.
