USA Basketball experience helping Purdue's Trevion Williams expand horizons
More: Purdue 2019-20 roster | Prospectus
Following this past season — a season he impacted profoundly from late December on as a freshman — Trevion Williams was told by his coach, Matt Painter, that something different could lie in store for him during his sophomore year.
After seeing only periodic usage last season playing alongside another big man, the young center says Painter would like to see him be able to do so more often this season.
"Coach already talked to me about it," Williams said, "and I've kept that in the back of my mind, trying to be able to play more than one position, the 4 and the 5 spot, and being able to guard, move my feet and be able to guard that quicker 4.
"He talked to me about how they used Biggie (Caleb Swanigan) his freshman year when they had A.J. Hammons, or even like a Vince (Edwards)."
One of Painter's coaching mentors, Bruce Weber, is currently nudging Williams in that sort of direction, as well, encouraging the Boilermaker big man to be more active in and out of the post as he vies for a spot on USA Basketball's 19-and-under World Championships team.
Williams said Weber has urged him to be more dynamic as a post player, as opposed to simply anchoring himself in the lane with his back to the basket and being stationary, which was essentially his freshman-year version of himself.
The wide-bodied 6-foot-9, 270-plus-pounder wants to be something more, always has and that won't soon change for a player who committed to Purdue aspiring to be a Swanigan-type forward at Purdue.
But his development into that player is inextricably linked to his greatest emphasis: His body. As Williams said, he's heard it his whole life: "He's skilled, but he has to get in shape."
He's going to keep hearing it from Painter, for one.
"He's got the ability to use his dribble and make some plays," Painter said Wednesday, "but he can't always do that when he's carrying that weight. He's shown flashes of greatness. What he has to get is consistent with his weight. Once he does that, he can be a more consistent player and work toward being an all-conference player.
"But if he doesn't, I don't see that happening. I see (only) the flashes staying. He's got a knack to score, a knack to pass and a knack to rebound, but he'll be even better in those areas if he can knock his weight down."
That's part of where the USA Basketball experience is helping him, Williams said Wednesday night from Colorado Springs, a day after he made the 19U team's first cut down to 18.
Surrounded by elite players from the college and high school ranks alike, and in the thin Colorado air no less, Williams is being tested physically, while growing mentally.
"Not just me but anybody who goes through this experience, it can help take your game to another level, learning from so many coaches," Williams said. "Coach Painter is a wise guy, of course, and knows a lot, but sometimes it's good to learn from other coaches, too. I'm just taking all the information in and trying to learn from it as much as I can."
It's a potential springboard for Williams, as it was for several Purdue players who've come before him, helped along in their developments by USA Basketball experiences. One of those players, Carsen Edwards, is probably going to be drafted on Thursday night.
"Just being able to have a chance to represent my country has been a great experience for me," Williams said. "Being able to play with some of these top guys in 2019 and 2020, it's been great competition and I'm really enjoying myself out here and just trying to get the most out of it."
Obviously, Williams' aim to is to make the 12-man roster Weber and his staff will take to Greece on June 24 for the FIBA World Cup event, running June 29-July 7. Painter, the chair of USA Basketball's junior national team committee, watched Williams for a few days in Colorado Springs and seemed impressed, but said he expects a "close" call on the final roster that could "go either way" for his sophomore.
With the goal in mind of making that call go his way, Williams took this week's news that he made the final 18 in stride.
"It felt good, but I wasn't that happy about it," Williams said, "just because I don't want to be satisfied. I haven't made the team yet, so making that cut felt good but I have to be humble about it."
June 20 Update: Williams named to U19 team. Full Release here.
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