Sooner State's Williams Enjoying First Dance

March 19, 2012

By Andrew Gilman | SoonerSports.com

NORMAN, Okla. -- Kaylon Williams has no clue about the particulars of Tuesday's game against St. John's.

Sure, she knows its a second-round game in the NCAA tournament. She knows what time the game starts -- 8:45 p.m. -- and she knows if the Sooners lose, the season is over.

But past that, Williams doesn't think about where the Sooners will play next if they win. She doesn't know St. John's seed. She doesn't really even know what seeds are for, anyway.

"She's never done this before," coach Sherri Coale said, answering for Williams, when the freshman from Midwest City was asked about the severity of the situation."She doesn't know what it all means."

So, is it really true Kaylon?

"Yeah, what she said," Williams admitted, pointing to Coale.

Williams may not have a great grasp on how big of a stage she's on when the Sooners tip off Tuesday night on national television, but that's just fine with Coale.

"It's a fabulous thing," Coale said. "Amen. That's part of the beauty of Kay Kay. It really is.

"You can keep her in the moment. You can keep her where she's supposed to be and she can move on. She doesn't take herself too seriously. She laughs at herself. She laughs at her teammates. That's how she wired."

A year ago, Williams led her team to the state tournament at Midwest City High School. She was a top 100 player by nearly ever recruiting service in the country.

And now she's a starter on a team a win away from making the Sweet 16.

Could she have imagined all this happening so quickly?

"Yeah, she dreamt about it," Coale said. "Every kid does, and imagines playing in the NCAA tournament, making the free throw, the basket, the rebound. She grew up around this and is living her dream. Would she have been able to accurately see herself doing what she's doing? She didn't even know enough to picture that. She didn't have enough info to formulate a snapshot of what that might look like."

But now Williams is in the middle of it all. She has started 15 games this season, including 12 of 18 in the fierce Big 12 regular season. Tuesday's start will be her 10th in a row. Meanwhile, Williams has averaged 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

"It's been a fun ride as the season has progressed," Williams said. "Seeing how much we've grown as a team."

Seeing Williams progress as an individual has been good, too, Coale said.

"She has surprised us as a staff in what she's been able to do in a short amount of time," Coale said. "What you're seeing now is just a sliver of what she's capable of. She has an incredibly high ceiling, and when she gets more experience and confidence she's just going to get better and better. She just has that package. The longer she plays the better she'll be."

And in the case of Williams, the less she knows, the better.

"I try to be optimistic," Williams said. "Getting everyone loose, making them laugh a little bit. I'm just enjoying it."