Former Lakewood Ranch basketball star reflects on her NCAA Tournament experience

LaDazhia Williams was awestruck.

The former Lakewood Ranch High girls basketball star was standing inside Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C, where her South Carolina Gamecocks were preparing to play Belmont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Even though she had played a few mop-up minutes during the Gamecocks’ 2018 tournament appearance, the spectacle of it all was too much not to stop and appreciate.

“It was a much bigger arena than we usually have,” Williams said. “Hearing the crowd on the court… It was great. It is always exciting to play in it. It was a great experience for me.”

It was the NCAA Tournament after all, the one every basketball player dreams of winning. The one Williams herself attended as a sophomore in high school when the event came to Tampa’s Amalie Arena in 2014-2015.

She watched South Carolina, Connecticut, Maryland and Notre Dame battle it out in the Final Four. Williams waited in line for autographs from players on all the teams. Williams said she was especially excited to see Notre Dame’s Jewell Loyd, who went on to become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft to the Seattle Storm.

Connecticut beat Notre Dame 63-53 in the championship game.

South Carolina did not make it to the Final Four this year, bowing out in the Sweet 16 with a 93-68 loss to eventual champion Baylor. Williams saw action in two of the Gamecocks’ three tournament games, adding two points and four rebounds in the team’s 74-52 win against Belmont and two rebounds in the loss to Baylor, plus the lockdown defense Williams has been known for since her days as a Mustang.

The 6-foot-4 Williams, the tallest player on South Carolina’s roster, will have a chance to earn more playing time next season with the departure of senior forward Alexis Jennings. Williams said she learned a lot from Jennings the last two years, especially the mental toughness it takes to play at an elite level. Jennings fought through multiple injuries to stay on the court and still averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Williams said Jennings also taught her the importance of being a team leader. Those are areas Williams will improve, along her on-court skills, during the offseason.

“I am going to be working on my speed and strength, and my shot, too,” Williams said. “I want to get better at shooting outside (the 3-point line).”

Williams has been enjoying her time at South Carolina, and particularly has been taken with the food. Team dinners at coach Dawn Staley’s house have become a staple. Salmon is commonly on the menu at such gatherings, as are corn and other veggies, plus occasionally a second meat option. Those gatherings, she said, are some of her most cherished memories from her first two seasons.

Still, Williams has not forgotten her Lakewood Ranch roots. Williams said she talks to former Lakewood Ranch girls basketball coach Tina Hadley regularly, sometimes about basketball, sometimes about life. Williams said Hadley reminds her to trust the process and keep working hard through any obstacles that appear. Williams said she tries to visit with her old Mustangs teammates whenever she is back in town.

Williams, who was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN coming out of high school, may have traded in her old collection of Jordans for South Carolina’s garnet and black Under Armor sneakers, but she is still the same type of player she was as a Mustang — never satisfied.

Come March 2020, she hopes to help the Gamecocks get back in the Final Four, this time with her playing a major role.