Sheldon Williams Named ASWA Community College Athlete of the Year

Courtesy of the Alabama Sports Writers Association

Coastal Alabama Community College South basketball player Sheldon Williams enjoyed a standout 2023-24 season. He was named the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Player of the Year as well as a first-team National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-America pick.

He will add another honor to his list of accolades on June 9 when he is awarded the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Community College Athlete of the Year award. It will be presented at the ASWA’s annual awards banquet at Jacksonville State University.

“It’s another big one on top of all the other ones I won this year,” Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward who will play his final two seasons of college eligibility at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, said. “I’m proud of the moment and proud to be selected.”

Williams averaged 22.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.2 blocked shots a game, while making 58.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 32.5 percent of his 3-point attempts for the Coyotes.

Coastal Alabama South head coach Robby Robertson said Williams’ stat sheet only reflects part of the impact he had on the team over his two seasons.

“First of all, what he did for us off the floor in a leadership role was big,” Robertson said. “He had a 3.4 GPA (grade point average) over two years here and I’m pretty sure he never missed a class. He was always the first person in the gym and the last person to leave. He is a really good basketball player, but he’s an even better person. He really got the guys to kind of follow him. He showed them the way on the floor and off the floor.

“Obviously, on the floor he was really good for us. He was first-team all-conference as a freshman and then Player of the Year (in the ACCC) and first-team All-American as a sophomore. He never missed a practice. He’s just as solid as you can get on the floor and off the floor.”

Robertson said Williams being named ASWA Community College Athlete of the Year is an honor he deserves.

“I think it’s just a validation of what he’s done over the last couple of years,” he said. “I think it’s a great honor. Obviously, you have to be a talented basketball player, a talented athlete, to win that award, but more than that it’s the type of character he has, which reflects well on him and on our program.”

Playing at Coastal Alabama is a tradition for the Williams family. Sheldon’s older brother Lue was a standout basketball player as well and just recently completed two seasons at Tarleton, Texas, University. Younger brother Stephen, a recently graduated senior at Escambia County High School in Atmore, has signed to play for the Coyotes and will join the team as a freshman next season.

“It’s an awesome family and they are great kids all around,” Robertson said.

The ASWA awards banquet is presented by Alfa Insurance and the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Previous Winner: Kade Snell

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