By Patrick Hayes

Amir Williams was a star big man at Detroit Country Day and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior before heading off to Ohio State. But at the High Major level, like many kids, minutes were sparse his first college season. Williams didn’t get upset at his situation, playing behind current NBA big man Jared Sullinger and other talented players at OSU. Instead, he continued to work in practice and now, as a sophomore, he could find himself in a position to be a major contributor as a result of that work. From Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch:

Williams showed in prime-time snapshots at Kansas and South Carolina and against Syracuse in the Elite Eight last season that he can rebound and defend the rim. He had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in a total of 39 minutes in the three games while Sullinger was out because of injury or foul trouble.

“Amir was important to us last year, even though he didn’t play a lot,” Dickerson said. “His play down the stretch was pivotal to us getting to the Final Four. If he can now take those five to seven minutes (per game) that he played last year at a high level and turn that into 20-plus minutes, then you’re looking at a guy who has a chance to have a great career.”

During the first handful of preseason practices last week, Williams was “one of the most pleasant surprises,” Dickerson said. “He’s played with great energy, great authority, and he’s been probably one of our most consistent players.”

Hat tip, Steve Finamore

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