When Chris Williams, a 6-foot-8 Swiss Army knife from St. Louis, joins the Hawaii Hammerheads, he’ll find himself in a friendly dunking competition with teammate Brandon Matano, a former Rainbow Warrior, who was on TNT’s Dunk King. ADVERTISING When Chris
When Chris Williams, a 6-foot-8 Swiss Army knife from St. Louis, joins the Hawaii Hammerheads, he’ll find himself in a friendly dunking competition with teammate Brandon Matano, a former Rainbow Warrior, who was on TNT’s Dunk King.
Matano also played for Team Flight Brothers, considered the world’s greatest dunkers. One of their videos on YouTube drew over 3.6 million visitors. Matano can throw down and so can Williams, who also has an all-around game: type in Chris Williams Spain highlights on YouTube to check it out.
Hawaii Hammerheads president Kevin Williams is building an entertaining roster for Hilo’s first pro basketball team, which starts ABL play in March. Besides the two Dunk Kings, there’s Australian ball-handling wizard Austin Treweek, versatile 6-10 forward Joel Feigler, and local boys Aukai Wong, Lanaki Apele, and Isaiah Ekau.
“With the ABL rules allowing only two mainland American players per team, I knew we had to bring in a player who had a multiple skill-set,” Kevin Williams said. “Chris can guard all five positions on the court. He’s a play-maker, shooter, great passer, and a great teammate to have on the court and in the locker room. Chris is one of the most professional high-character players I have ever coached, and I know he will come in and be a great asset to the community and help us on the court to bring a championship to the Big Island.”
Chris Williams, nicknamed Slim and C-Will, is not related to Kevin Williams. C-Will, 25, has played for nearly a dozen semi-pro or pro teams since he graduated from Chowan University in 2014 with a psychology degree.
The Chowan Hawks are a Division II school in Murfreesboro, N.C., or as Slim aptly put it, “It’s a small town located in the middle of nowhere.”
Williams averaged 6.7 points on 57 percent shooting in 15.3 minutes during his senior season in 2013. Previously, he played two years at Nyack College, a Division II school in New York.
“I’ve traveled all over the country, playing semi-pro ball, back in New York, Virginia, Dallas, Houston, Louisiana, and St. Louis,” said C-Will, who’ll arrive in Hilo in two weeks. “After that, I went overseas and played in Spain and El Salvador. I traveled on a touring team in California, and Arizona was my last stop since I finished school.
“It was a life-changing experience. That experience humbles you in a lot of ways, different culture and lifestyle. I played basketball around the world. Not a lot of people can travel. It was a true blessing being a part of that. My best moment was one month in Houston with Kevin Williams as my coach. It went beyond basketball and was all a big journey.”
The Hammerheads will open their preseason against Japan’s Shizuoka Gymrats on March 3 at home.
“This is more than just about basketball,” C-Will said. “With the Hammerheads as a first-year team, what we’re trying to do is build something that will last forever.
“I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I’ve heard great things about it. In St. Louis, it’s either hot or cold. I know there’s great weather in Hawaii.”
When Williams hits the court, he’ll try to treat the local fans to a display of entertaining ball.
“My role is what I would call Mr. Clean-up. If something is not being handled, I’ll be the one to clean up, whether it’s shooting, dribbling, passing, or rebounding,” he said. “It’s whatever needs to be done. If it’s dunking the ball, I’ll clean it up. I’ve been dunking the ball since I was 12 or 13 years old.
“Being 6-8 and able to handle the ball, it helps that I have court vision like a quarterback and can see over the defense. Growing up, I learned to play with patience. Traps don’t bother me. I can make a good pass or a play out of the trap.”
Williams hasn’t met any of his Hawaii teammates. He only knows them through conference calls. But there’s one thing that makes him fan friendly.
“I’m a big-time nerd. I’m a huge nerd, and I love video games,” said C-Will, who’ll be in a friendly competition for Hammerhead fan favorite. “The games are my therapy, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo.”
Williams doesn’t want to just entertain the young local hoop fans, but he also hopes to serve as a role-model.
“In the near future, I want to be an assistant basketball coach and guidance counselor,” he said. “I want to help those student-athletes go through what I went through.”
Slim remembers waking up at 4 a.m. to attend 5 a.m. practice, going to classes, returning to the gym at 4:30 p.m., and crashing in bed at 10 p.m.
Then he had to do it all over again the next day. However, he earned his degree, traveled to a ton of places to play ball, and turned himself into a Hammerhead.
“I’m really excited. It’s a really great chance to make a statement,” C-Will said. “We’ve got a great roster. I think once the games start it’s going to get crazy. We’ll put on a show.”
For more information on the Hammerheads, visit hawaiihammerheads.com.
