BY DENNIS SILVA II | densilva2@gmail.com

Tompkins was the pleasant surprise of Katy ISD’s boys basketball last season when it made a surprising run to the Class 6A regional quarterfinals as a relatively young team.

Though the Falcons lost a pair of senior leaders in Hank Sanders and Jonathan Nash for the upcoming season, they return a talented junior class in B.B. Knight, Jason Clark and Carmelo Yakubu. All three have size, length and shooting ability; Knight is regarded as one of the top shooters in the class of 2022.

Tompkins has also added a pair of dynamic transfers: Joshua McMillan II from Cypress Lakes and Demari Williams from Fulshear. The marquee name is the senior combo guard Williams. The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder averaged 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals last season.

Williams, a three-star recruit, scored more than 1,000 points over the last two seasons for the Chargers.

“I’ve been zoned to Tompkins for over a year now,” Williams said. “I was at Fulshear on a district waiver last year because my dad works in the district. Tompkins is a lot closer to my home, so we discussed it as a family, and I decided to give it a try for my senior year.”

Williams said he has some friends at Tompkins and vividly remembers the run to the state championship game in 2018.

“They were fun to watch,” Williams said.

Williams holds five offers—Baylor, Louisiana Lafayette, Buffalo, TCU and Oral Roberts. He has also been in contact with several other schools.

“Whichever school believes in me the most where I can play right away will definitely be a top choice,” Williams said.

His timeline for making a decision remains flexible.

“I would have preferred to verbally commit sometime before my senior year, if I were able to play out my summer, but this didn’t happen,” Williams said. “If the NCAA decides to have the August, September and October live periods, I’ll wait until it’s over to decide.”

Williams spoke more on his game and future.

Q: For those who might not know, describe your game. What are your strengths? What position do you prefer to play?

A: “I describe my game as a player who is aggressive and likes to compete to win. My strengths are facilitating to find my teammates, rebounding, getting steals, attacking the basket to score and draw fouls, finding my spots to score the 3-ball, as well as a pull-up jumper. I love to attack the basket and get to the free throw line because of my size and length. I’ve played this way all my life and feel like I’m hard to guard. I love to play point guard because I have an advantage with my size and court vision. I like to push the ball in transition and find my teammates quickly. I can also play off the ball and be a threat to score as well.”

Q: How has the global pandemic hindered your recruiting process, if at all, this spring?

A: “My recruitment has still been good in spite of not playing right now with the pandemic. Lots of schools have reached out and are recruiting me. There are a few coaches that have expressed interest in wanting to see me play in August, September and October during the live periods. My recruitment during the pandemic has been a blessing.”

Q: Tell me a little about your background. Where did you grow up, what age did you start playing basketball, and what is it about the game that you love so much?

A: “I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to Texas when I was three years old. Both my parents are from New Orleans. My dad was a basketball All-American (at Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma) and he started coaching and teaching me the game when I was five years old. I love the competitiveness of the game and process of learning more. I believe it can take me many places in life.”

Q: What are your personal goals and expectations heading into your senior season at Tompkins?

A: “I want to embrace the challenge of leading by example with my experience. My expectations are to win district and make a run at a state title. This is my last year and I’m very focused on making this happen with my teammates.”

Q: Random question: As a basketball fan, what did you think about “The Last Dance”? What did you take away from watching that series?

A: “My biggest takeaway is how Michael Jordan never settled. He put serious work in to lead the Bulls to win championships. It was strictly business when he was on the floor.”