C Amir Williams (Worcester Wolves - England)

[LitlBuck]

I don't have the luxury of getting all of the OSU games since I live in Minnesota (atleast basketball) and I've noticed all year that they prefer #30 over Amir. Any reason to this? Amir looked so athletic, long, and active in tonights game and I really feel he is a better fit to relieve Sully.

#30 is
http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/buckeye-basketball/620188-pf-evan-ravenel-transfer-bc.html

He is a transfer from Boston College and has had much more experience than Williams. At this time, he is much more polished than Amir and probably knows his role much better. I can't see Williams and Sullinger on the court at the same time because Williams is strictly a low post player and you do not want to take that away from Sullinger.

 

[MD Buckeye]

I would really like to see 10 minutes a game with Sullinger and Williams on the floor at the same time.

+1

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPPrn8akD0E"]How OSU Stopped Syracuse - YouTube[/ame]

Completely agree with what Hubert says about the lineup with Amir at the 5, Sully at the 4 & Thomas at the 3. The only issue is, who do you sit? I wasn't a huge Lenzelle fan during the regular season, but he has really turned it on in the tournament, especially with his performance yesterday in the 2nd half. Kid is a baller. I realize Buford has been struggling from the floor, but you can't discount his 9 boards & key free throws late in the game....and he's bound to go off one of these nights.

This team has definitely surprised me and I can't wait for the game on Saturday. LET'S GO BUCKS!!!!

 

[Bestbuck36]

+1

How OSU Stopped Syracuse - YouTube

Completely agree with what Hubert says about the lineup with Amir at the 5, Sully at the 4 & Thomas at the 3. The only issue is, who do you sit? I wasn't a huge Lenzelle fan during the regular season, but he has really turned it on in the tournament, especially with his performance yesterday in the 2nd half. Kid is a baller. I realize Buford has been struggling from the floor, but you can't discount his 9 boards & key free throws late in the game....and he's bound to go off one of these nights.

This team has definitely surprised me and I can't wait for the game on Saturday. LET'S GO BUCKS!!!!

I think you can alternate getting some rest for Buford, DT and Smith Jr with this "big" lineup. Its not an all the time lineup but for stretches it could be very effective especially against a really big lineup like Carolina. Also it allows Sully to get the ball a bit outside the lane and move the bigs away from the basket or get burned by Sully's mid range game, which he clearly has. If not Sully on the other teams 4 would be a great advantage.

 

[MD Buckeye]

I think you can alternate getting some rest for Buford, DT and Smith Jr with this "big" lineup. Its not an all the time lineup but for stretches it could be very effective especially against a really big lineup like Carolina. Also it allows Sully to get the ball a bit outside the lane and move the bigs away from the basket or get burned by Sully's mid range game, which he clearly has. If not Sully on the other teams 4 would be a great advantage.

I agree & thought the same about potentially facing UNC & even Kentucky. I like the depth we have with Rav & Amir....Sully sitting for almost the entire first half yesterday & going in tied at the half was HUGE.

 

[BigJim]

I don't have the luxury of getting all of the OSU games since I live in Minnesota (atleast basketball) and I've noticed all year that they prefer #30 over Amir. Any reason to this? Amir looked so athletic, long, and active in tonights game and I really feel he is a better fit to relieve Sully.

#30 is
http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/buckeye-basketball/620188-pf-evan-ravenel-transfer-bc.html

He is a transfer from Boston College and has had much more experience than Williams. At this time, he is much more polished than Amir and probably knows his role much better.

I agree with Litl, the key words being "at this time", although that "time" may be closing quickly.

 

[JohnnyCockfight]

Haven't we discussed the problems with playing both Amir and Sully at the same time already? I think we would all love it on the offensive end of the court. And theoretically it should be the best situation on the defensive end of the court as well. However, if the other team's 4 or 5 can either shoot from the outside or drive to the hoop then we would be conceding baskets with the opposing players driving around Sully and/or Amir. If Sully had quicker feet on D, Amir would have seen more playing time throughout the season.

 

[calibuck]

Just have a hunch that Amir will be the fill-in for Sully, rather than Avenal. The sizes of Kansas's big boy and Amir more adequately match up, and if he can intimidate or at least change the shots, he could get significant minutes.

No, my crystal ball is no better than yours, but 'got a feelin'.....


:gobucks3::gobucks4:

 

[Buckskin86]

Amir Williams

He's a mystery, and he shouldn't be.

Williams, the 6-11 center from Michigan, was a McDonald's All-American in high school. Every time he was called on to produce in a tough situation, he did (see early road games at Kansas and South Carolina, the Big Ten tourney finale against Michigan State, the NCAA third-round game against Gonzaga and the East Region final against Syracuse for examples). He shot 53 percent from the floor, and despite being 10th in minutes, he was second on the team in blocked shots and first in rebounding rate.

Signs point to Williams being an impact player, eventually ranging between a more offensive Ken Johnson and a less talented Greg Oden. Either case or something in the middle certainly would put the Buckeyes in a good position, especially since both helped teams to the Final Four.

He instantly will give OSU the security blanket it lacked the past two years on defense because he can alter shots in the paint and protect the basket on breakdowns. While Sullinger was considered a great rebounder, Williams averaged more boards per minute than the All-American.

Despite the look test and the empirical data, Williams didn't crack the lineup as hoped. Never in 39 games did fans see a front line of Williams, Sullinger and Thomas, putting three players in their natural positions of center, power forward and small forward, respectively. That was confounding.

The Detroit native doesn't have the highest motor, his body language and effort in warmups was questionable at times and no one outside the program knows what goes on behind the closed doors of practice. But going head-to-head with one of college basketball's best low-post players in Sullinger every day for a year didn't hurt his development.

Williams will be the most intriguing player and maybe the most important if the Buckeyes want to keep doing what they've been doing during the past four years.

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/art...Amir-Williams-key-Ohio-State-s-future-success

 

[Buckskin86]

Commentary
Amir Williams prepares for big role
Originally Published: April 18, 2012
By Myron Medcalf | ESPN.com

When soon-to-be sophomore Amir Williams considers his future as Ohio State's starting center, he reflects on the professional trajectory of L.A. Lakers star Andrew Bynum.

Bynum averaged just 1.6 points per game as a rookie in 2005-06. This season, however, he's one of the premier centers in the NBA (18.7 ppg, 12.1 rpg).

Williams would like to emulate Bynum's improvement next season.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Amir Williams isn't worried about expectations, but he doesn't deny that they exist.

"His skill set skyrocketed the last few seasons," Williams told ESPN.com. "[There's] an opportunity for me to take on a larger role next year, and it's something I'm looking forward to."

As a freshman, Williams accounted for just 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per game.

Those numbers reflected his on-court learning curve and limited playing time behind All-America big man Jared Sullinger.

But Williams is a former McDonald's All-American who will fill the lane for the Buckeyes next season. Grand expectations will come with that new role in his second season.

"It's just all about preparation, how I prepare myself in the offseason," he said. "I feel like if I prepare myself good this spring going into next fall, I think I'll live up to everything I'm supposed to live up to."

Williams arrived last season with a slate of prep accolades. The 6-foot-11 center led Detroit Country Day High School to a Michigan state title in 2010 and a championship game appearance the following season.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta recruits and develops talented big men. And when he signed Williams -- No. 43 in the 2011 ESPNU100 -- he added another potentially potent post player to his rotation.

But Sullinger's decision to return for his sophomore season meant that Williams played sparingly as a freshman.

With Sullinger recently announcing his decision to go pro, however, Williams will step in as the Buckeyes' go-to big man.

Williams said he recognizes the expectations and intends to put in the work necessary to get ready for a larger role during the 2012-13 campaign. But he's already had some high level on-the-job training.

Working with Sullinger helped him prepare for future battles with big men in the Big Ten and around the country, he said.

"It helped me improve going against him every day in practice. It helped me offensively and defensively, checking guys his size and learning how to score over guys his size and taller," Williams said.

cont...

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...res-fill-big-shoes-2012-13-college-basketball

 

[LitlBuck]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...res-fill-big-shoes-2012-13-college-basketball

When I saw the post, I thought he was going to transfer:)

 

[Buckskin86]

ON AMIR WILLIAMS?

* Williams said he's up to 252lbs this summer after playing in the 240's last year. Working on getting stronger.

* Williams said the biggest thing for him this summer has been working on his post game. Said development is critical for him.

* Craft said he's seen a difference in Amir this summer. Said he's very involved and energetic, really working hard.

* Ravenel said he has taken Williams and Trey McDonald under his wing. They are all working hard together.

http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/12-13Men/twominutedrill_battleforohio.html

 

[LitlBuck]

Bob Baptist thoughts from practice

-- The other new starter, Williams, was a mixed bag. He had some nice swats by coming across from the help side and, early in the practice, rebounded and finished his chances around the basket. But he wore down as the workout wore on.

Williams missed conditioning time during the summer because of hip pain that was remedied by inserting an orthotic in one of his shoes. He said he feels fine now, but his conditioning is still an issue. He missed some chances late that I attributed to fatigue.


He'll also have to be careful with the "principle of verticality" on his shot-blocking. He brings his arms down a lot trying to affect shots. That's a foul. He can't afford many of those.

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/con.../2012/10/10-22-12-thoughts-from-practice.html

 

[NINJA BUCK13]

​

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State men's basketball: Living up to hype a tall task
Center Williams seeks consistency in second season
By Bob Baptist
The Columbus Dispatch Thursday December 6, 2012

Chuck Liddy | Raleigh News & Observer
Ohio State center Amir Williams had a career-high 10 rebounds against Duke on Nov. 28.

Amir Williams isn?t the only poster child for the Ohio State men?s basketball team right now. He?s just the largest one.

Winners of five of six games so far but losers in their only one against a ranked opponent, the seventh-ranked Buckeyes are more of an unfinished product at this point than any of coach Thad Matta?s past three teams, each of which had a better idea of who they were and whom they could rely on in close games.

This team still is figuring that out as it prepares to play Long Beach State on Saturday, the second of eight games in a row at Value City Arena, a stretch in which Matta hopes to define roles and forge an identity before the hammer of the Big Ten season drops in January.

Like the Buckeyes? preseason ranking, expectations for Williams, a 6-foot-11 former McDonald?s All-American, probably were too high. Some fans seduced by his flashes in a few big games last season as a freshman extrapolated those over 30 minutes a game and envisioned him becoming a rebounding and shot-blocking pterodactyl.

?I think you?ve got to be careful of taking people?s opinions and casting that on (players),? Matta said. ?I think that?s what?s kind of wrong with society today. Joe Blow?s got an opinion and everybody think that?s the gospel.?

The reality is that Williams so far has been very much like his team, effective sometimes and not so much in others. He is averaging 15.7 minutes a game, four fewer than starter Evan Ravenel. His rates of points, rebounds and blocked shots per minute are lower than last season, but he is more often matched up against better players.

?I?ve just got to be consistent,? Williams said last week after he had a career high of 10 rebounds in 27 minutes in the Buckeyes? loss at No. 2 Duke.

The 10 rebounds were as many as he has had in the other five games combined.

?Coach talked (before the Duke game) about me being more aggressive offensively and defensively and just attacking the offensive glass,? Williams said. ?He talked to me about having two rebounds, three rebounds in a game, and said if I?m going to be a big man, I had to pick up my rebounding stats and be able to score while I?m down there in the paint.?

Too often, it has seemed, Williams gets a hand on the ball but can?t control it, or it is stripped from his hands as he goes up to score. He said the reason is not bad hands or a lack of strength.

?It?s just concentration, just being hungry and going after the ball, that?s all,? he said. ?I?ve just got to grab the ball. Or if I?m getting fouled, I?ve got to be able to finish through contact. And if they send me to the free-throw line, I?ve got to knock down foul shots.?

cont...

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2012/12/06/living-up-to-hype-a-tall-task.html

 

[LitlBuck]

More consistent play from 6-foot-11 sophomore Amir Williams could abet the cause. Williams’ two best games this season were against Duke and Kansas, but he often was invisible against lesser opponents. Matta gave him the first start of his career against Chicago State. It might be the first of many if Williams can be the steady defensive presence around the basket the Buckeyes are going to need in the Big Ten.


“Coach talked to me about being consistent,” Williams said. “He said I have times where I tune out and don’t seem like I’m playing, like I may be lackadaisical. Sometimes I do feel like I just clock out. It’s just mental. I just have to go out and be prepared and have a routine the way I approach every game.”


It was suggested that having a Big Ten opponent in his sights every game for the next 10 weeks might help Williams’ focus.


“I hope so,” Matta said.

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/con...big-ten-play-will-test-focus-of-buckeyes.html