By Jake Fischer, News Staff
Just days before the Northeastern men’s basketball team tipped off its season against the Boston University Terriers on Nov. 10, head coach Bill Coen told the Huntington News that freshman point guard T.J. Williams was likely the best player on his roster at creating his own shot. Not sophomore David Walker, nor juniors Quincy Ford and Demetrius Pollard, but his 6-foot-3-inch rookie from Pflugerville, Texas.
Coen threw Williams into the fire early, as the ball handler came off the bench and scored 8 points in 26 minutes in his college debut. Since then, Williams’ playing time has been erratic and he’s been moved in and out of the starting lineup. Last week, however, after returning from a two-game absence due to injury, Williams played two-straight career-best games en route to being selected Colonial Athletic Association conference Rookie of the Week.
Wlliams averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 assists during the Huskies’ two-game homestand last week. He tied his career-high with 12 points and added 3 assists in an 81-73 victory over Hofstra University on Wednesday and scored 12 points while dishing a career-high 6 assists in an 82-70 loss to the College of William & Mary on Saturday. Over the course of the two games, Williams shot 50 percent from the floor and 67 percent from 3-point land.
“I thought T.J. was fairly steady the whole game but kept his composure and kept digging and kept fighting,” Coen said following the loss to William & Mary. Williams’ confident play was the spark that pushed the Huskies back from a 33-point second half deficit.
Walker was named to the All-CAA Rookie team last season averaging 6.2 points, 2.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds as he started the majority of Northeastern’s games one season ago, but never earned Rookie of the Week honors.
Williams is currently producing at a similar rate, posting nightly averages of 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
If Williams continues his successful play as of late, he could position himself to earn a spot of his on the All-CAA Rookie team this season, alongside probable selections for William & Mary’s Omar Prewitt and Hofstra’s Jamall Robinson. That accomplishment, alongside red-shirt junior Scott Eatherton’s likely All-CAA First Team selection, would be enormous building blocks moving forward into the conference tournament in Baltimore.
