BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
With 55 seconds remaining on the clock, Laurynn Williams grew up.
The Donna High point guard and her teammates faced a 34-33 deficit in the final minute of Tuesday’s game against the Mercedes Tigers. With the ball in her left hand and a chance to even the standings atop District 32-5A, Williams cleared a screen and rolled toward the basket. After being inadvertently tripped by a Mercedes defender (no foul was called), Williams threw up an arching eight-foot floater over a second defender that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. The crunch-time bucket gave the Bravettes the lead en route to a 39-34 win.
Her ability to attack the paint and play through contact displayed levelheadedness, leadership and determination. It was a move she may not have made earlier this season. It was one she picked up last year as a freshman while watching her older sister, and former Donna point guard, Lexi.
“She was very good at penetrating the lane,” Williams said. “That was something I was never able to do because I was always afraid of contact. I saw how unafraid she was, so I just went in for it.”
Though the Williams sisters saw scant playing time together in their lone season as teammates, the pair would often spar during scrimmages at home, where Lexi’s trash talk doubled as tough love.
“She used to make fun of me for a really long time,” Williams says of her older sister. “She would always say, ‘Why are you so scared? You’re such a chicken.’ It got annoying after awhile.”
Lexi graduated last year, clearing the way for Laurynn to take over ball handling duties this season. In her short time as a varsity starter, Williams has developed the speed, quick hands and court vision to play the position.
She’s also grown. A lot.
The sophomore added three inches to her sleek frame during the off-season and measures 5-foot-8, a height that routinely dwarfs opposing point guards.
“Usually (the defenders) are pretty short. It lets you see over people,” Williams said. “It gives you a clear vision of the court, who’s open and who’s not.”
Williams likes to score and says “3 pointers are (her) specialty.” She favors the right corner to strike from long range. But her favorite thing to do is the most elementary function of the point.
“You can ask any of my teammates, I love passing,” Williams said.
It’s that very spread-the-love mentality that has turned Donna (18-10, 9-1) into one of the Valley’s best teams. Since Williams’ return from a bruised right tibia suffered during a game against McAllen High in November, the Bravettes have gone 10-3.
“They know how to win,” Donna coach Kevin Kromer said. “It doesn’t always look like they know what they’re doing, but they’re getting the job done.”
Kromer’s words are not a backhanded compliment towards his players, but rather an honest assessment of a team brimming with young talent. The Bravettes play like a team of All-Valley contenders one quarter before committing a litany of rookie mistake during the next.
Despite the dichotomy, Kromer refers to Williams and sophomore forward Aileen Garza as the team’s “future,” and is giddy that a player of Williams’ caliber is under his tutelage.
“I’ve always wanted a tall guard,” Kromer said. “I go to the state (basketball) tournament and I see those kids and they’re all nice, tall kids that can look over the trap. The short ones are a dime a dozen, and some of them are very good, but Laurynn is a little different, she’s a little special.”
Though Williams is comfortable with the keys to the Bravettes offense, she says she’s still growing as into her role as one of the team’s leaders.
“It all depends on the situation,” Williams said. “I let the seniors handle most of the things that go on. But I try and encourage the team just as a leader would do. I’m just trying to get my team involved.”
Williams possesses a level of confidence in her skills beyond her years. To her, the secret to a successful hoops team isn’t always Xs and Os. It’s the intangibles, and, just like taking contact, those need practice too.
“I need to work on my communication more,” Williams said. “Communication is everything. If you have communication, you’re pretty much good.”