City of Basketball Love

Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert)
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In his biggest opportunity to date, Archbishop Ryan’s Darren Williams took full advantage -- with the help of some extra motivation.

Playing in front of a packed home gym for the first time in his career, the sophomore was certainly a crowd-pleaser, dropping a game-high 16 points as the Raiders cruised past Downingtown West, 69-43, on Friday night at Archbishop Ryan in the third game of the CoBL Tip-Off Showcase.

“To me, I feel as though the bigger crowd boosts my confidence,” Williams said. “I have to execute, help the team and do the best that I can do in my role.”

The role Williams plays will be greatly expanded in his second season with the Raiders. In Friday’s season opener, the 6-foot-4 guard made his first career start after appearing in 13 of the team’s 18 games last season for an average of 4.7 minutes per game in contests played without fans in most instances.

The first game of 2021-2022 was a new story for Williams. The young left-hander, who plays his summer ball with K-Low Elite, was a featured contributor against the Whippets, scoring at all three levels and bringing length and intensity on defense. He hit shots throughout the game, but his most impactful moment came as Ryan pulled away.

As the end of the third quarter neared and the Raiders were building a bigger lead, Williams stole the ball with 30 seconds left in the period and drove it to the other side of the court for a thunderous dunk, sending the fans into a frenzy and all but cementing the first win of the season by putting Ryan up 51-27 going into the fourth.

“Darren was great tonight,” Ryan head coach Joe Zeglinski said. “He’s a special player, especially when he plays like this. He let the game come to him. That’s what I’ve been telling him and he’s been working on, because he’s so good at playmaking and he’s a good shooter. He took what was there for him and played very under control.”

Williams said he wants to continue bringing that style of play going forward by staying consistent and making the right plays, which can rub off on other players.

“I like to keep my team from being negative,” he said. “If something goes wrong, keep sticking together and keep sticking to what we do to help us win.

Zeglinski also noted that he liked what Williams brought on the defensive end, such as on plays like the steal that led to his dunk. His efforts on defense showed maturity and the proper anticipation for what Downingtown West tried to throw at Ryan.

“He doesn’t look like a sophomore out there,” Zeglinski said. “He’s under control. He’s making plays for others. Defensively, that’s probably the underrated part of his game, and he was great. He’s long, he’s athletic and he was all over the floor tonight.”

The coach said he was pleased with the defensive effort as whole from his Raiders team. Williams agreed, also adding that the effort on defense led to momentum on offense and much better looks.

For Ryan to have future success the way it did against Downingtown West, the performance on the defensive end will have to remain effective. For that to happen, Williams will likely need to play just as big a part as he did in Game 1. The sophomore is confident he can rise to the occasion and keep it rolling.

“I definitely will have to step up and be that guy,” Williams said. “I feel that this year, coming into that role and not playing much last year, that I just have to step up.”

Of course, Williams is not the only young player the Raiders are relying on to handle bigger minutes this year. Two other Ryan sophomores have key roles in place for 2021-2022 as well.

Center Thomas Sorber, a 6-9 transfer from Trenton Catholic, started alongside Williams as a post-up center who can also defend, pass and has nice touch. He had 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks on Friday. Jaden Murray is a lengthy, hyper-athletic 6-5 wing forward who can defend inside and is versatile on offense, recording nine points and seven rebounds off the bench in the opener.

“Our sophomore class is special,” Zeglinski said. “That tandem in the bigs plus Darren, they’re going to be fun to watch for the next three years. I’m excited to see them develop together.”

The chance to develop alongside each other is something that appeals to these players as well.

“It’s great to know that since we’re young and playing this much that we’re going to be looking forward to this in the next years coming up,” Williams said. “Just getting to know each other better as players and as friends is really good. It’s a good opportunity for us to learn how to play with each other.”

While the future definitely seems promising, the trio of sophomores is also part of a strong Ryan team today. Long-term development is a priority for Williams, Sorber and Murray, but so is competing in each game in front of them for the rest of this season, starting with their next matchup against Dover on Sunday afternoon at Archbishop Ryan.

To do that and make the most of this season, Williams is sticking to the approach that helped him stand out in his first chance to shine this year.

“You just have to be patient,” he said. “Not force anything. Let the opportunities come to you and execute from there.”