Ask La’Daisha Williams which class or subject she most enjoys, and the senior at Spencer High School doesn’t hesitate.
“I really just want to be in the gym,” Williams said with a smile. “I like my classes ok, but I just prefer to be playing something in the gym.”
The 5’8” athlete does spend a lot of time in the school gym. She plays three sports at Spencer, two of which are court sports. In the fall Williams played her last season of volleyball for the Greenwaves, and she is currently in the second half of the school’s schedule for the girls basketball team.
Williams didn’t even try basketball until she was an eighth grader at Eddy Middle School. Her experience with the sport in middle school led her to believe she would be able to contribute to a high school team. She played various positions, but since she made the team at Spencer, Williams has primarily been a post player.
“I guess I prefer small forward because I like to shoot, but really I am better at post, going up for layouts,” she said. “I can jump pretty high. It’s one of the things I can do.”
For three of the past four fall seasons at Spencer, Williams started her sports schedule with volleyball. She credited the skills she gained on the volleyball court with helping her take her basketball game literally a jump ahead.
“I think one of the reasons I am able to jump and get to the ball comes from playing right at the net in volleyball,” Williams said. “There are some really tall volleyball players, and you have to be able to get up there to get to the ball.”
The senior said she enjoys playing volleyball and would consider a college scholarship to play the sport. Basketball, however, is her passion, and she just can’t seem to get enough of it. In fact, as a freshman at Spencer, Williams played on three basketball teams at once.
After her first year in high school, Williams decided to change-up her routine. Thinking she would branch out and try something different, Williams played softball instead of volleyball. She was a left-fielder for the team, and although she said it wasn’t a bad experience, she didn’t feel like it was a fit for her. For one thing, Williams is geared for constant motion.
“That’s the main reason my mother wanted me to try basketball,” she said with a smile. “She knew I was always moving, and because she played basketball, she thought it might be a good sport for me.”
After her sophomore year experiment with softball, Williams went back to the tried and true gym sport of volleyball and then moved into basketball season. She had a good 2015-16 basketball season but said she always feels as if she can improve.
Some of her improvement came from attending basketball camps at Auburn University and Columbus State. Another source of input about her game comes from someone much closer to home: her mother.
“She will get out there and teach me post moves; she played at Carver,” Williams said. “I can hear her when I am playing. Always yelling at me. Not about what I shouldn’t have done but what I need to do. I listen.”
As the only senior on the Lady Greenwaves team this season, Williams feels a real responsibility and takes her role as a team captain seriously.
“I try to encourage them to be better,” she said. “We need to be working hard all the time, and I try to set the example.”
Already this season Williams has proven valuable to her team. During a recent game against Shaw High School, Williams scored 18 points, one of which was a 3-point shot. It was an unusual occurrence for Williams, and she still smiles when she recalls the feeling of realizing she made the basket. The Lady Greenwaves lost to the Lady Raiders despite Williams’s outstanding scoring, but it was a memorable game for her, nevertheless.
A few schools expressed an interest in Williams coming to play basketball for them after she graduates from Spencer. Before she makes a decision, she has one more sport to finish up. Williams will move off the court and outdoors for track and field, but she will still put that desire to move to good use.
She has been a track athlete for many years, even going back to middle school. Currently she participates in both the 800-meter and 400-meter races while also being a member of the 4×400-meter and 4×100-meter relay teams. She runs the last leg of the 4×100 but is the third runner in the 4×400. She said she enjoys that position because she especially likes to run “catch up” for her team.
Last year Williams went to state in three events, the 800m and the two relay events. Spencer’s relay teams placed third in the 4×400 and seventh in the 4×100, while Williams placed seventh in the 800m.
Williams seems to be designed to be a three-sport athlete. Weighing in at 106 pounds, she uses her complete skillset of height, speed, and agility to get the job done no matter which sport she undertakes.
It’s going to be a close race to see which sport wins out with the right offer for college, and Williams is setting her sights for the best option whether it’s volleyball, basketball, or track. She said she will be equally happy whatever sport wins out, but one is pretty close to her heart.
“Basketball,” she said, smiling. “Yes, basketball. Home to me is the basketball court.”
Columbus Valley/February 2017
Spencer High SchooL
Columbus, Georgia
Written by: Beth Welch | Photos by: George McDuffie
3-Sport Athlete Enjoys Being in Motion
