BOYS BASKETBALL

AWT: S. Heart’s Williamson had strong rookie season

Michael Odom
michodom@jacksonsun.com

Over the past couple of seasons the Sacred Heart boys basketball program worked to improve and be more of a competitor in West Tennessee.

But four of the team’s top players graduated last season leaving a big hole in scoring.

Freshman Dontae Williamson came in this season and played a major role in helping this team stay at a high level of play.

Williamson averaged 12 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists per game this season to be named the 2016 boys basketball All-West Tennessee Newcomer of the Year.

Sacred Heart boys handle Madison

“My expectations coming into this season is that it was going to be hard,” Williamson said. “I knew we would face good competition.

“I wasn’t expecting to come right in and play, but I thought if I came in and worked hard I could.”

Williamson joined the Sacred Heart program the same season as the team got a new coach in Nick Beauregard, so he was learning the offense like the rest of the team.

“It took a lot to learn how he coached at first,” Williamson said. “But he pushed me on and off the court.”

Williamson increased his role on the court more as the season progressed, and he played some of his best during the district games in January and February.

“My best game of the season was against USJ because all of my shots were falling,” he said.

With three more years of high school basketball left to play, Williamson has the potential to be one of the best players to come out of the Knights’ program.

“I have to just keep practicing,” he said. “I have to work on my shots and ball handling.”

With a majority of the team back next season, Williamson thinks that Sacred Heart can be even better next year and be ready to compete against some of the tougher teams in the district.

“I feel we can be better than this past year if we put in the work,” he said.

Michael Odom, 425-9754