- April 24, 2024
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Leading district foe West Port, 8-3, in the first quarter last Thursday, Flagler Palm Coast guard Princess Williams drove to the basket, but she was called for a charge. On the other end of the floor, she threw the ball away. Back-to-back turnovers for the junior, but FPC coach Javier Bevacqua kept her on the floor.
There was no hesitation.
Thirty seconds later, she had an inbound play underneath the FPC hoop. With no passing options, she bounced the ball off a West Port defender’s backside, snatched it up as it came back to her, and then drained a 5-footer to give the Lady Bulldogs a 10-3 lead.
This is what Williams means to Bevacqua and the Lady Bulldogs. She has to stay on the floor at all times.
Stepping into a larger role
Last year, FPC ran a two-point guard system with Armani Walker and Williams. But when Walker injured her knee over the summer, Bevacqua made the decision to implement a more conventional, one-guard system. It’s been a work in progress, but so far, so good.
“In (switching systems), Princess becomes even more crucial with what you do,” Bevacqua said. “Last year, she did a lot of the mop-up work.”
After the Lady Bulldogs were eliminated in the district semifinals last season to Sandalwood, Williams told herself and her coaches that she was going to be more visible on the court in her junior year.
A starter since she was a freshman — and a basketball player since the age of 5 — Williams said she fell into hiding as a sophomore. Although Williams was one of the best ball handlers, Walker stuffed the box scores and was the primary go-to player for the Lady Bulldogs.
“I didn’t show my real talent (last year),” Williams said.
Her coaches agreed: Williams needed to make more plays for her team. Her teammates were going to rely on her.
“We told her, ‘You can’t hide,’” Bevacqua said. “We told her that this summer. And it was ironic that Armani went down because then we told the entire team that they all have to get involved. And Princess stepped up. In fact, she’s one of three or four girls who have stepped up.”
Walker is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, though, and so Bevacqua is relying on Williams — who, no matter what team they play, will likely be the shortest person on the hardwood.
But the 5 foot, 2 inch guard’s thoughts: Who cares?
“Everybody thinks I’m just not that tall, but I can get up with the 6-foot girls,” Williams said during practice last week. “I feel like I’m just fine with my size. I can do what everybody else can do.”
Williams’ speed and court awareness gives her the ability to do things on the floor that not many players can — regardless of their height. This season, she’s averaging 12 points, 3.5 steals and three assists per game.
She does more than stuff a stat sheet, though.
“She controls tempo for us,” Bevacqua said. “Losing her hurts us because ... it might slow our offense on the wing.
‘Even when our heads were down’
FPC needed overtime to down West Port, 68-62, in that game last Thursday. It was a wakeup call for the Lady Bulldogs, Williams said.
“That was a key game,” Williams said. “I felt like we played together. We did everything that we were supposed to do, and we kept pushing ourselves even when our heads were down.”
The Lady Bulldogs went a dismal 13-for-38 from the free-throw line, which is something Bevacqua and his team will need to improve upon as they head into the district tournament next month.
By then, though, Williams will have had even more games to be visible. And even more games to come out of hiding and lead her team.
“What makes Princess a good point guard is her speed, her agility and her ball-handling skills,” Bevacqua said. “Her court awareness and her court vision is through the roof.
Just take that creative play in last Thursday’s game as an example.
