LaDazhia Williams gets first taste of college action in Japan

LaDazhia Williams has been at the University of South Carolina a couple of months, but she already has experienced more than most freshmen will during their first year of college.

She has learned what it means to play for the defending national champion Gamecocks with an entire town embracing its women’s basketball program.

“Everyone, like, recognizes us and stuff,” said Williams, who graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School in May after earning a third straight All-Area Player of the Year honor from the Herald. “They have a lot of fans up there, and they’re just expecting a lot from us, and everyone just wants a repeat.”

At the end of June, she traveled with the team to Japan. It wasn’t only a unique cultural experience, but an important basketball one, too. Williams and South Carolina played three scrimmages against Japan’s women’s national basketball team, in addition to practices, during a week in Tokyo. It was the first chance for Williams to gain live action with her new team while hoping to figure out where she fits in on the Gamecocks’ loaded roster.

Williams primarily played power forward during her first stint on the court with the Gamecocks after mostly playing center for the Mustangs. She was never afraid to play on the perimeter with Lakewood Ranch, although improving her outside play, she learned, will have to be a primary focus leading into her freshman season.

The Gamecocks see her providing a stretch four with the ability to anchor a defense from the post while also knocking down jumpers and creating offense from the perimeter.

“My all-around outside game,” she singled out when asked what she feels she most needs to work on before the season begins.

Although statistics and results were not available for the Gamecocks’ scrimmages while in Japan, Williams said minutes were dispersed pretty evenly. Scrimmages consisted of three 10-minute periods and then a score-stop-score drill in lieu of a fourth quarter. Williams shined during the drill at the second session against Japan, according to South Carolina’s athletics website, scoring four points on two shots and grabbing six rebounds.

One of the biggest adjustments for Williams is the pace the Gamecocks play. South Carolina has become a Southeastern Conference power under coach Dawn Staley and a perennial national championship contender with its uptempo system. Playing with tempo will be a change for Williams after she served as the centerpiece for the Mustangs’ deliberate offense the past few years.

“It’s about both learning the system and keeping up with the pace,” Williams said. “That and just playing with more intensity.”

Williams’ upcoming South Carolina career will be perhaps the most anticipated college women’s basketball career for a Manatee County product. She finished her high school career as a five-star prospect, according to ESPN, and ranked No. 48 in the nation in this year’s recruiting class.

While there’s no guarantee Williams will play right away — she’s the third highest rated prospect in the Gamecocks’ freshman class — her week in Japan will put her ahead of schedule when compared to most of the nation’s incoming freshmen.

“I had to adjust a little bit,” Williams said, “just learning how my teammates play.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "LaDazhia Williams gets first taste of college action in Japan."