John Sherman Williams (born October 2, 1963) is a retired American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Newcomer of the Year, was a four-time all-conference pick and led the MVC in scoring (22.8) for the 1985–86 season.

High school career

Born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, John S. Williams attended

George Washington Community High School George Washington Community High School is a public school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, serving grades 9–12. About The school originally opened in 1927 as a traditional high school in the Haughville neighborhood of Indianap ...

, graduating in 1982. He led the Continentals to Sectional titles in 1980 and 1982; reaching the Indiana State Tournament Quarterfinals in 1982. He was the Indianapolis City scoring champ (27.5 ppg) his senior season (1981–82) and ranked sixth in the state. He was named to several All-State teams, including the most prestigious, "Indiana All-Stars," the All-Stars annual series with their Kentucky-based peers is the nation's premier inter-state high school series.

College career

After high school, Williams attended Indiana State University. A three-year starter, he played basketball under head coaches

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Ron Greene Ronald L. Greene (December 27, 1938 – March 31, 2021) was an American basketball coach who served as head coach of three Division I college basketball teams, as well as teams in Division II, the World Basketball League, the American Basketball ...

, leading the team in scoring his entire career and rebounding his senior season; he finished his career as the #2 career scorer (2,370 points) and the #10 rebounder (629 rebounds). He was named first team All-Missouri Valley following his junior and senior seasons and second team All-Missouri Valley Conference for his sophomore and freshman seasons. He is one of three “2,000-point” scorers in 125 seasons of Indiana State Sycamores basketball. During his Senior campaign (1985–86), Williams tied Larry Bird's record of 81 consecutive games in double-figures and ranked in the top 5 in the nation in scoring (25.8 ppg) He completed his college career as the # 3 scorer in

MVC MVC may refer to: Science and technology * Maximum-value composite procedure, an imaging procedure * Multivariable calculus, a concept in mathematics * Multivariable control, a concept in process engineering * Mechanical vapor compression, a desal ...

history, trailing Indiana natives, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird; today, he ranks fifth as

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. After starring at Chicago's Westinghouse High School, the 6'3" (1.90 m) shooting guard attended Bradley University. Hawkins played for 4 teams ...

and D.J. Balentine surpassed his total.

Professional career

Williams was not selected in the 1986 NBA draft. However, he spent one season in the CBA, four seasons in the WBL and five seasons touring with

Athletes in Action Athletes in Action (AIA) is an American sports organization founded in 1966. It is the sports ministry of Cru Ministries, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. History Athletes in Action was started in 1966 by Dave Hannah."Fact Sheet: ...

. Following his playing career, he returned to his hometown and began a career in coaching at the youth level.

Legacy

In recognition of the Centennial Anniversary of the Missouri Valley Conference, Williams was named as one of the “Top 50” players in Valley history during the 2006-07 basketball season. He left the college game as the #3 scorer in Missouri Valley history; trailing only #1 Oscar Robertson and #2 Larry Bird.

References

External links

* https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/john-williams-26.html * https://gosycamores.com/honors/hall-of-fame/john-sherman-williams/126 {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Sherman 1963 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball players Rockford Lightning players Shooting guards Small forwards Wyoming Wildcatters players