Southwest's Williams looks to lead

 It can be hard for someone like Jamaal Williams to stay humble about his basketball abilities.

Even before he joined the team at Southwest High, the rising junior was heralded by many as one of the area's next great players.

And Williams hasn't disappointed. His versatility has allowed him to emerge, indeed, as a star in the local hoops community.

Yet Williams doesn't pay much mind to the hype. Instead, his focus has been on improving his game while also allowing the Stallions to progress. Southwest displayed such continued improvement when it defeated a competitive Concord team 51-46 on Thursday at Northside High School during the opening day of the East Coast Invitational Team basketball camp.

"That was good for us because it shows we come ready to play," said Williams. "We were young last year and we still won some games and made the playoffs, so that also was a confidence booster."

Williams, a 16-year-old, 5-foot-10, 160-pound point guard, was a big reason the Stallions qualified for the NCHSAA 2-A playoffs. He averaged 16.2 points, five rebounds and four assists per game to land a spot on The Daily News All-Area first team.

Not bad for a sophomore. Still, Williams remains on an even keel and doesn't let his early successes go to his head.

"I am always learning from others, and I have talked to guys like Kendric Burney, Jamal Shuler and Brandon and Bryan Streeter, and all of them have told me to keep level-headed," said Williams.

Quite a list to receive advice from. Burney is playing for the University of North Carolina's football team after standing out at Southwest and Shuler recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University after a solid hoops career for the Rams as well as at Jacksonville High. Brandon Streeter recently graduated from Mount Olive College following a standout season and Bryan Streeter stood out so much in high school that he managed to join the hoops team at The Citadel.

Williams understands there is a need for progression if he is to join that list of top college performers.

"I need to improve my jump shot in terms of being able to pull up for more jumpers," he said. "I have always had the driving ability and the ability to score, but I also need to improve my right hand, because even though I am right-handed, I like to go left a lot.

"And you can always get better on defense."

Southwest head coach Tommy Barnes elaborated.

"Jamaal needs to improve his defense and being a vocal leader as well as a floor leader," he said. "He just needs to become a leader in general."

No better time to develop those skills than at the East Coast Invitational, a camp that has featured some of the East's best players and teams. But the effort to get better didn't' just begin.

"My dad (Leon Williams) takes me to work out every day so I can get better, and he is hard on me, but I like that," said Williams. "I have taken 500 shots each day and dribbled around.

"I have learned a lot the past two years and now is the time to perfect what I have learned."

And one thing Williams has learned is how to depend more on his teammates, and not feel like he has to take on an entire squad by himself.

"I trust my teammates because they have the ability to make open shots," he said. "I have always had the ability to score, but I don't like scoring as much as I do passing to them.

"But in (clutch time), I do want the ball in my hands."