PG Shaun Williams signs with K-State

Signing Day has quickly come and gone for Kansas State when it comes to the hardwood. Bruce Weber and his staff technically have zero spots available in the 2018 class but future attrition suggested that they might sign one player.

That happened today - the first day of the early signing period - as St. Louis area point guard Shaun Williams signed with the Wildcats. He’s a three-star prospect by Rivals and goes to Hazelwood Central High School.

“Shaun has just signed,” his father Ken confirmed. “Coach (Chris) Lowery was a big part of the reason. He’s been a great person from Day One. We remember when he met Shaun and told him he’d be watching him. He’s been great and he’s a man that is about his word.”

It wasn’t just assistant Chris Lowery that closed the deal. The area of Kansas actually did as well. Trust in a coaching staff and a feeling of comfort and safety is key for the parents in the decision-making process.

“By us knowing Xavier (Sneed), and following him, and then visiting the K-State campus, we found out we really liked it there,” the elder Williams said. “The college campus there is controlled since it’s also by a military base up there. They really look after the kids. It’s going to be his first time away from home so we wanted something safe and we feel safe with them.”

K-State isn’t set to lose anyone, much less a point guard, but Williams may have been just too good and too much of a fit to pass up. Folks that have coached him certainly believe that.

“Kansas State’s style of play and what they do with their guards fits what Shaun is,” Williams' AAU coach Corey Frazier said. “He’s a stronger guard. He’s aggressive and attacks. He’s a playmaker that plays hard on both ends of the court. He’s not one-dimensional. He can score and defend. He’s athletic.”

“In terms of players that fit what they want, he’s hard-nosed, and does the little things to be successful and help win games,” Frazier added. “That’s what Coach (Bruce) Weber and K-State want. That’s the culture they’re creating. They picked a good guy.”

Because of the limited space, there might not be a ton of playing time available immediately. Williams and his family know that. That never scared them away or caused them to have hesitation about the Wildcats.

In fact, that was actually a draw. His father admitted to wanting there to be a bit more patience with his son and how they value the part of having older, mature and experienced players already in place that will surround his son.

“They’re already going to be set at guard when he gets there,” Ken Williams said. “We know that. That was never a secret. But that’s a good situation. They can take him under their wing. He’s going to come in and learn early and we think that will be great. We love that he gets to learn and be mentored by guys like (Kam) Stokes and Barry Brown. They’re also going to make him work for it. They’re not going to let him walk in and take their job. Even if he only gets six minutes, I’m happy.”

Williams’ high school coach also raved about his ability, but more importantly, raved about the K-State coaches and the trust he has in them. That should not go overlooked, as he’s around the AAU team quite a bit that also has big-time targets in 2019 and 2020 like Mario McKinney, E.J. Liddell and Caleb Love.

“There’s a family atmosphere at Kansas State and Shaun liked that,” Hazelwood Central coach Brandon Gilmore said. “Coach Lowery did a heck of a job recruiting him. They’ve been looking at him since his freshman year. He’s formed relationships there that they have had for a long time so he’s comfortable. They like tough, gritty guards that can compete.”

“I coach with the AAU program that Shaun plays in as well and Kansas State just does a great job around the St. Louis area when they recruit,” Gilmore added. “We trust our guys with that staff. They work hard. It has a chance to pay off for them again in 2019. They put in the time and work.”

Frazier pointed to Williams' fit at Kansas State the most, emphasizing that the commit was a multi-dimensional player. Gilmore pointed to something else as Williams’ strength.

“The strength of his game is toughness,” he said. “He’s a complete player. As a point guard, he can run the offense and he can score. But he’s a tough kid, guards the other team’s best player every night, and his upside is very high. He was a four-year varsity player so he’s a great decision-maker and a strong leader. He has been for a long time.”

His father certainly agrees with that sentiment. Toughness is the name of the game according to his father, but also a commitment to defense. A lot of it is according to the values they placed in their son at a young age.

“Shaun wasn’t really ranked,” Ken Williams said. “But we raised him to work hard. People will see you and people will notice you if you keep working hard. You have to set the example. So, he’s going to give Kansas State toughness on defense right out of the door. They’re going to get a strong, disciplined player that loves to play defense. I feel that, for them, he’ll be great on defense and he’ll be a great ball-handler.”

What helped Kansas State land Williams? Relationships.

“He had the familiarity with them with the St. Louis guys already being there,” Frazier said. “One of the guys he played with is there - Xavier Sneed. There’s a real sense of comfort with those guys at K-State.”

The family is thrilled about it all as well, as could be expected. Williams’ mother told KStateOnline.com that they plan on being at every home game. Ken Williams reinforced those comments.

“It feels great,” the father said. “We’re very happy. It’s been a long time coming. We’ll probably be in Manhattan 85 percent of the time now. It’s just about five hours away. We enjoy ourselves there.”

Now, you know we couldn’t hang up the phone with Gilmore without asking him about Xavier Sneed and how he felt about his pupil’s run so far in Manhattan.

“X is going to be pretty good,” Gilmore said. “They’re doing a great job with him up there and we couldn’t be happier with his development and how he’s being taken care of and groomed. He has a chance to be a pro. Again, we just trust those coaches up there.”