Boys basketball notebook: Hank Williams family has legacy at Lawrence Woodmere Academy
Tigers guard Hank Williams is coached by his dad, brothers. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The Williams family is doing its part to make Lawrence Woodmere Academy a staple in the Long Island boys basketball landscape.
Hank Williams is the Tigers coach and the head of school. Williams’ son, also named Hank Williams, is a freshman and Lawrence Woodmere’s starting point guard. Brandon Williams and Dominique Williams — Williams’ middle and oldest sons, respectively — are Lawrence Woodmere’s assistant coaches.
The family effort has been crucial in Lawrence Woodmere’s 7-1 start and 7-0 mark in PSAA play.
“It puts a lot more pressure on me, but I take the pressure,” the youngest Williams said. “That’s what I’m here for, I’m trying to make it far. So to have the brothers and family as coaching staff, it’s amazing.”
Williams, who also played for Lawrence Woodmere as an eighth grader and is still its youngest player, is averaging 14.9 points and has made 32 three-pointers. His father, who has coached him since he was 10 at the AAU level, has seen major strides in his confidence.
“While I’m building the program, I think it was just a great opportunity to allow [younger Hank] to grow,” the eldest Williams said. “ . . . He really surpassed the expectations.”
Lawrence Woodmere’s average margin of victory in PSAA play is 43.4 points. It put together a competitive non-league slate with games against St. John the Baptist, Chaminade, Kellenberg and Friends Academy. Josh Smith, Chris Clark, Sylvanus Tabe and Caleb Ourigou have created a formidable starting five alongside Williams.
Lawrence Woodmere went 2-9 in a COVID-19-altered 2021-22 season and 10-6 in 2022-23, Williams’ first two seasons as coach. It is on pace to shatter last year’s win total.
“If we move the ball well, if the players are moving well and we defend like hell and rebound,” the eldest Williams said, “we should be able to compete with the best of them out here.”
St. John the Baptist thriving amid doubts
St. John the Baptist boys won 20 games last season before falling in the NSCHSAA semifinals.
The Cougars lost two starters from last season who transferred: Carter Wilson (Bay Shore) and Jawuan Smith (Floyd). Though St. John the Baptist returned a star-studded trio, the perception seemed to change.
“It was kind of like, ‘Well, St. John’s gonna really stink this year,’ ” coach Jake Ellis said. “ . . . In the past, booking games was next to impossible, it seemed like nobody wanted to play us. This year we had everybody calling, ‘Hey, do you want to play us?’ ”
The early returns have been as good as Ellis could have hoped for. The Cougars won their first five games, facing public and private schools in both Nassau and Suffolk. St. John the Baptist is 7-3 heading into the New Year. And the Cougars finished in fourth place in the eight-team Holy Trinity Christmas Tournament.
The Cougars’ three Newsday top 100 selections — brothers Stevie and Chris Williams and Jeremiah Carter, all guards — are thriving. Stevie Williams is averaging 16.9 points, Chris Williams is at 9.9 and Jeremiah Carter is at 16.9. Gianpiero Arnone, DJ Lisbon and Jayden Miller have all stepped up in bigger roles as well.
“It’s always been [a] championship, that’s our goal,” Ellis said. “Anything short, we’re upset about it.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
