Earnesia Williams: (Almost) all business

Quick, explain how and why these four words/phrases belong together: quiet, hard worker, team player and ... goofy!

They belong together only because redshirt freshman Earnesia Williams says they do. In this year's Texas basketball media guide, those are the four things that the 6-1 forward writes to describe "what my teammates would say about me."

And, by all indications, this is an apt description of Williams, on (quiet, hard worker, team player) and off (goofy) the hardwood.

When people first meet Williams, the former high school All-American, McDonald's All-America Game standout and Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year who hails from Sapulpa, Okla., they see someone quiet, serious and studious-looking.

When Jody Conradt and her assistants first caught a glimpse of Williams playing in high school, they saw a potential collegiate star.

"Not everyone stays in-state to play their college basketball and we were going to do our very best to convince Earnie to cross the Oklahoma border," Conradt noted. "We had our sights on Earnesia for a long time. While watching her in high school, we knew that it would be hard to find a player more versatile who was as great a young person as she was. There was no doubt that she was going to be a star."

"When I was being recruited, my mom of course played a huge role in the process," Williams said, "and she kept reminding me, 'Don't forget about Texas, don't forget about Texas. Put them in your top five.' And, I did for all the right reasons -- Texas' basketball and academic reputations. I had a closeness with the coaches and I loved the atmosphere here."

Her mom knows of what she speaks. A single parent, Kammie Holmes raised her only daughter to respect the game and to focus on her academics. Holmes was a basketball standout in her own right, starring at NAIA power Fort Hays State in Kansas from 1989-91, helping Fort Hays earn the 1991 NAIA national title.

"Mostly, my mom brought me up through the game of basketball," explains Williams, who was a finalist as a senior at Sapulpa H.S. for the elite Wendy's Heiman Award, awarded annually to a male and female high school senior for excellence in academics, athletics and community involvement. "I remember being on the sidelines, dribbling and shooting basketballs while she was playing in college. She started coaching me in rec leagues. And, she emphasized academics all along the way."

And, about her crossing the Red River to come to Texas. What do her friends back in Sapulpa think?

"Well, I got them to admit that they will cheer for me, but not for Texas!" laughed Williams. "I understand that, but I am going to convert them to be Longhorn fans before I am done here! My mom moved to Texas with me, because we have family friends in (nearby) Pflugerville, and she now teaches and coaches in their school system."

Williams the person, and Williams the player, gets high praise from Naismith Hall of Famer Conradt.

"Earnesia is a really special player," Conradt noted. "She has a great passion for the game and is such a team player. I know that the loss of her last year to her knee injury cost us several games."

That loss of Williams (to an ACL right knee tear in the Dec. 6 Duke game) ironically happened in her first college start on a drive to the basket. Fortunately, she was able to gain an NCAA medical redshirt waiver and regain her year of athletic eligibility.

"I wanted it all NOW as a freshman," Williams says, seriously. "I wanted to do big things for this program, and my injury in the Duke game was a huge disappointment. I rehabbed hard, and every day there was sweat and pain. But, I pushed through because I knew I had to get through it. My goal was to get back on the floor at full strength as soon as I could, doing whatever it took."

It's this business-like approach to the game of basketball, a game she absolutely loves, which separates Williams from most student-athletes.

"In everything I do, I guess I am business-like, because I want to do things the right way and get them done the right way," Williams said.

The budding star knows what she wants.

That's why she virtually attacked her rehabilitation process last year, having to be instructed to hold back at times by the sports medicine staff. That's why last year you would see Williams on the team bus, in the hotel room and on the sidelines during shooting practices with her books open, highlighter in hand, not wanting to fall behind in her studies.

And, that's why the information technology major was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll last spring, putting up solid grades in a semester where she easily could have been distracted by her injury.

During games and in film sessions, Conradt would approach her and strongly encourage her to 'be a leader, speak up and help my teammates, even though I wasn't playing," Williams noted. "And, I was confused at first because I was a freshman and hurt. But, Coach saw in me some leadership. Once I understood that, I tried to help out a lot."

And, she's carried that understanding and help onto the court this year, although it was a rough start.

"We've brought Earnesia along slowly this preseason and in early games, and that's been hard for her," Conradt said. "It is hard to sit out if you are as passionate about playing as Earnesia is about the game of basketball. She has rushed herself at times, and we've had to reign her in and tell her to slow down, be patient, and let the game come back to her."

"Coach is right," admitted Williams, who is averaging 9.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. "I wanted it all to happen again for me at once. I was frustrated that my footwork, my passing, my shot all weren't in sync right away. And, I was going too fast and not helping myself or my teammates. I saw that on film, and have been making adjustments."

And impressive adjustments they are. In the last six games, Williams has notched double-figure scoring three times, including a career-high 19 points in the win over San Diego. She earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Surf 'N Slam Hoops Classic with two-game totals of 27 points and 12 rebounds in helping UT to the title. Those efforts gained Williams her first Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors as well.

This all leads us to her last quality, goofiness.

"Oh yeah, Earnie is crazy off the court and she is goofy," noted sophomore guard Erika Arriaran. "Fans don't see that side of Earnie that we do -- laughing, being silly in the locker room or on the bus trips. She is not always shy! Then, she just turns it off quick and gets ready to play. Earnesia knows the game so well and will do anything it takes to win. We missed her so much last year."

Conradt sums up what Williams means to the Longhorns.

"Earnesia has a wonderful work ethic and makes everyone around her better," she said. "There is no higher praise that a player can receive than that. We expect her to make a special difference in our program."

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics