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Illinois Basketball: 2018-19 Illini season wrap-up for Da’Monte Williams

By Rees Woodcock

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 27: Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on November 27, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 27: Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion on November 27, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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When the Illinois basketball team was able to snag Da’Monte Williams, I was pumped.

Williams was the son of Illinois great, Frank Williams. He had a sensational high school career as well. He just finished up his sophomore campaign with the Illini. Here is his 2018-2019 season wrap-up.

Expectations

During Williams’ freshman season, you could see glimpses of this kid and how good he could be on the basketball court. He was coming off a torn ACL during his senior season in high school, so a slow start to his Illini career was understandable.

Heading into his sophomore season, though, I expected a big jump in his production. He averaged 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game during his freshman campaign. Those numbers should jump up to around 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He has the ability to do everything on the court, and I wanted to see it.

Reality

There was one thing that really increased a great deal from freshman to sophomore year for Williams and that was his minutes. He went from 16.9 minutes to 21.6 minutes per game. But, nothing else moved substantially.

Williams ended his sophomore season averaging 3.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. His points dropped slightly, and his rebounds and assists had a slight uptick. This wasn’t the improvement I wanted to see from year one to year two, though.

While Williams did struggle on the offensive end, the defense is what helped him stay on the court. But, even with being solid on defense, the team still gave up 75.2 points per game, which ranked 269 out of 353 teams.

Future

Honestly, I need to see more out of Williams moving forward. I know this kid has talent. I have seen him play well. He just hasn’t shown it much since suiting up for the Orange and Blue.

Next. 2018-19 Illini season wrap-up for Tevian Jones. dark

I can’t see Williams starting next season for this program. If he does, I want to see an uptick in scoring. I need to see him become productive on the offensive end of the court. If he isn’t scoring much, then he needs to be averaging more assists. The stat line next season needs to show something like 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, like previously mentioned. That is what I expect from Williams next season.

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