Exclusive: How Sebastian Williams-Adams Plans To Expand Game With Vanderbilt Basketball
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NASHVILLE—When Mark Byington thinks of Sebastian Williams-Adams and what he can do as a Vanderbilt basketball player, Williams-Adams wearing a JL3 Elite jersey comes to mind.
That version–the AAU one–of Williams-Adams was among the best defenders on the floor at all times, but also put together stretches of dominant face-up play on the offensive end. Williams-Adams averaged 13.1 points per game that summer while shooting 48.9% from the field and going for a high of 41 points.
Vanderbilt was a real contender in that high school recruitment, but ultimately came up just short due to its lack of proof of concept at that stage. As a result, Byington and his staff weren’t able to invest in Williams-Adams’ development right away.
The last time Byington saw Williams-Adams in action, he was in the midst of a freshman season in which he averaged 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 stocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field as well as 30.8% from 3-point range.
Williams-Adams was impressive, but generated a number of his points around the rim on looks created by others or in transition. His highlight tape includes flashes of standout self creation and perimeter scoring, but it’s not the norm. Perhaps under Byington, though, Williams-Adams will have a more advanced demo reel of scoring highlights than he did in his first college season.
“He thinks that he wants to get me more towards what I was out of high school, just in terms in playing more face up,” Williams-Adams told Vandy on SI. “He says defensively he believes I’m one the best defenders in the SEC so just combining that with a better offensive game, I would say just that was kind of the main thing we've talked about.”
Williams-Adams says that when he entered the transfer portal, he was targeting a program that trusted him enough to expand his offensive game. He says it was easy to narrow his list down to Vanderbilt and Miami because each program’s coaching staff had seen him as a high schooler when he was working primarily out of the faceup.
Williams-Adams has always known Byington to be high on him and his ability to be a standout SEC player–so much so that Williams-Adams says he felt like a “s****y person” for telling Byington he was going to Auburn out of high school. Now, though, his offensive development is in Byington’s hands.
Byington has built a reputation of never boxing players in, which has particularly manifested in frontcourt players that want to expand their games. He tells Williams-Adams that for him to grant him the green light, he’s got to hold up his end.
“There are a couple of things he and I discussed that I need to work on,” Williams-Adams said. “At the end of the year I shot it really well, but just getting [3-point shooting] more consistent and obviously my free throws. In the postseason I think I missed two or three, but getting that consistent out the whole course of the year is gonna be really important for me and at the end of the day I'll say it's required for me to be successful at the next level. For me, that's the most important thing.”
Williams-Adams’ stroke indicates that he can be an effective 3-point shooter, but his numbers at Auburn leave plenty to be desired. So do his EYBL numbers–which feature him making one of his eight attempts in his final summer on the circuit. The free throw numbers–51.9% at Auburn and 48.3% on the EYBL circuit–also raise some questions.
The idea, though, is that a summer of reps and the momentum built by Williams-Adams going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc in the season’s last seven games, 4-for-7 in its final two and 3-for-3 in Auburn’s NIT win over Illinois State could propel him into his best shotmaking season yet.
Williams-Adams says he’s open to the idea of playing the three as a result of Vanderbilt’s potential log jam at the four, but he knows that he’ll have to shoot it better to make that happen. Vanderbilt is partnering with him to make sure that happens.
“He's pretty committed to us working in the summer, working as much as possible,” Williams-Adams said in regard to Byington, “And showing what my true potential is.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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