Edmond Memorial junior Janiyah Williams, five-star basketball recruit, commits to Oregon
EDMOND — The evening before competing in a regional championship, Janiyah Williams decided to binge-watch some riveting television from a few years ago.
Forget an action-packed Netflix series. Try Oregon’s 2019-20 women’s basketball season.
Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally provided thrilling storylines as they joined forces to defeat a top-10 Stanford program three times.
“They’re both tough,” Williams said.
One might describe Williams the same way after seeing her secure a contested rebound and race to the other end of the court for a layup against Jenks.
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The Edmond Memorial junior draws inspiration from the Ducks, and in a couple of years, she could see herself in their highlights. Williams committed to Oregon on Friday afternoon during KREFSportsTV’s broadcast after the Bulldogs defeated Jenks, 56-41, to reach their area tournament. A 5-foot-9 guard, Williams is a five-star recruit and the No. 21 national prospect in the class of 2025, according to ESPN.
With at least 30 offers from Division I programs across the nation, Williams narrowed the pool to Oregon, Tennessee and Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Although she grew up in Stillwater until her sophomore season, Williams is looking toward the West Coast, and the decision didn’t surprise her Edmond Memorial teammates.
“I just think the way I talked about Oregon after my official (visit), they could tell I really enjoyed myself,” Williams said. “And also, I’d just been hearing a lot (that) Oregon is my vibe. Hey, it is my vibe. Committed now, so let’s go. Go, Ducks.”
Williams let a few people in on her choice early. Edmond Memorial coach Rachel Crabaugh smiled before Friday’s game and said she knew. Williams’ shoes contained hints of green, while her father, Tevin Williams Sr., sported green sneakers in the crowd.
But she wouldn’t focus on her commitment until the Bulldogs took care of business.
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Jenks opened the regional championship with a sudden burst of energy, leading 12-9 at the end of the first quarter. Then Edmond Memorial held the Trojans to a mere four points in the second quarter, carrying a 24-16 advantage into halftime.
“We came in that first quarter and started off a little slow and were kind of going back to not moving the ball as much as we are now doing, typically, on offense,” Crabaugh said. “Shots sometimes aren’t gonna fall, but defense can start from the tip. We were like, ‘We cannot let them score. If we’re not gonna score, they can’t score.’”
Eventually, the Bulldogs did score. Williams tallied a game-high 18 points, while senior Addy Johnson followed with 17. Junior star Avery Hjelmstad added 10 points, all after halftime.
With a victory secured, Williams put on a headset and sat beside Tony Sellars of the KREF broadcast, announcing her commitment as the Bulldogs broke into a frenzy of cheers.
It was a celebratory moment for Williams’ parents, too. Melissa and Tevin Williams have practically toured the country to visit the many schools that offered their precocious daughter, making sure she could see her options in person.
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“I’m thankful, and I see she’s happy she can concentrate on going to state,” Tevin Sr. said. “Schools were still calling, she was trying to concentrate on school, and now she can just relax and just play ball. We saw the relief in her, so that made us feel better.”
As Williams chases a state title, the next step is an area matchup against Broken Arrow on Thursday at a to-be-determined location. While pursuing her high school goals, Williams keeps the big picture in mind, and she sees Oregon as a place that could launch her to a higher level.
Like Ionescu and Sabally, Williams plans to continue competing beyond Eugene.
“It means so much because my ultimate goal is to play in the WNBA, and that’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” Williams said. “And Coach Kelly (Graves), he has five-plus players in the W right now. He’s so good at developing point guards, combo guards, so I’m just really blessed to be able to be coached by him on the next level, and the whole coaching staff and the way they get their girls together, and just the community.
“They support women’s basketball, so it’s great.”
Hallie Hart covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Hallie? She can be reached at hhart@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @halliehart. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Hallie's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond Memorial's Janiyah Williams, 5-star recruit, commits to Oregon
