It’s Always Been About Basketball for Shamika Williams

For some, basketball is simply just a sport; but for those who devote countless time and effort playing, it is more than a game, at least this is the case for University of Tampa junior guard Shamika Williams.

If you ask Williams to describe how basketball makes her feel, she passionately says, "basketball makes me feel like nothing else matters. When I step out on the court I feel untouchable, I'm very confident…"

Williams began playing basketball at the age of 6, but it was evident that her love for the game existed as early as three years old as she recalls often carrying around the ball. Her step father, also a lover of the game, is credited for getting Williams started in playing organized basketball.

The guard went on to play high school basketball at Catonsville under the tutelage of Mike Mohler. There, she was a four-time MVP, four-time MPSAA all-conference and all-division player. Aside from her successful high school career including many other accolades, she played for the Baltimore Cougars under coach John Luckey.

After high school Williams took a year off in which she worked and took a couple of classes, as a result she lost all of her scholarships and an opportunities to play college ball. She was absent from the game until a friend told her about Sauk Valley Community College.

SVCC flew Williams out to their campus and liked what they saw, offering her a scholarship. During her freshman year she averaged 22.8 points per game, 12.3 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game. Her sophomore stint mirrored the same success as she left SVCC as the programs leading scorer.

The next stop for Shamika Williams was an unexpected one, the University of Tampa. According to Williams, "Coach (Tom) Jessee actually found me by accident. He was looking at a girl I was playing from Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC), and then he called me, we started talking, I came out here and visited, played basketball, now I'm here." Williams, like the majority of the students at UT fell in love with the campus and deemed it a perfect fit.

Williams accredits coaches Jessee, and Caitlyn Mitryk for not only helping her become a better player at her position, but a better student.

After starting off her UT career averaging double figures in scoring and earning player of the week honors in the Sunshine State Conference, Williams is currently the team's number one cheerleader. Shamika is sidelined after injuring her knee in a conference game a few weeks ago.

Williams is no stranger to injury as she has been plagued with knee problems for most of her playing career. From torn tissues around her knee to a sprained PCL, she has seen it all, but yet, she doesn't let it stop her from playing the game she loves.

When Williams returns to the court, she hopes to help lead her team to a conference and national title. She also hopes to maintain a 3.0 GPA during her collegiate career and move onto the coaching ranks after graduation. She would love to play professionally but recognizes her body won't allow her to do so.

According to her teammates, Shamika Williams is a joy to be around always checking up on everybody's feelings. Her unexpected level of sensitivity is backed up by, in her words, her ability to bench press 225.

Basketball happens to be a motivator, distraction, and the ultimate safe haven for Williams, "It's just that feeling I get when I touch the basketball, I don't know it's weird. I still get butterflies before every game…I don't know where I would be without basketball honestly, it's always been basketball."

Written by Alesia Wilson