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October 17 :: 2007
By RANDY CRUZ
For many streetball players, their Michelangelo-esque drawings of the problem would resemble a man who stands at 6’3, 180 pounds, athletic build and hails from New York City. The sketches would reveal these streetball players’ problem is none other than Aaron Williams. Aaron Williams could be classified as a wicked problem, meaning a very complex problem. Problems whose solutions require large groups of individuals to change their mindsets and behaviors are likely to be a wicked problem. Large groups of individuals, in Williams’ case, are a 12 to 15 man basketball roster on the opposite bench, changing their strategies and thinking numerous of ways to contain someone with the talents that Williams possesses. Williams has become a wicked problem, and wicked problems have no stopping rule. The summer of 2007 was an avid example of that. Every wicked problem is essentially unique, and uniqueness is what’s probably going to separate Aaron Williams from the rest of the streetball pack. Every June, streetball players patiently wait on numerous of summer leagues to start up. West 4th is usually the first tournament to kick off the summer, as they begin their play in early June. June is finally rounded up by the starts of Nike Pro City, EBC @ Rucker Park, Hoops in the Sun and Dyckman. Aaron Williams, who plays in each of those leagues, wanted 2007 to be a season that nobody could forget, and a season that will finally uplift his name into the stratosphere of the elite point guards in the city.
Williams shooting the J against DDN/Sean Bell All-Stars - June 24, 2007 WILLIAMS ANSWERS THE QUESTION of where he laced up his sneakers at this summer. “I played at 155th (EBC), the Tri-State Classic on 145th, Fireball at Baruch College, D&D Sean Bell Invitational, Dyckman, Gunhill, West 4th and Hoops in the Sun.” Taking his underrated act all across the city; he was leaving his mark on every court the best tournaments had to offer. “I played my best in the Tri-State Classic and EBC. I was averaging 25 and better, with a couple of 35 plus games in both of those tournaments. I love playing everywhere, but Hoops in the Sun and Dyckman are the most challenging to me because at the beach (Hoops in the Sun), you have to be able to deal with the sun, which is crazy, and in Dyckman, there's no zone. It’s straight man to man defense, so it makes me play better defensively.” Williams mentions that Hoops in the Sun is his favorite place to play in the city. Maybe it’s because he’s won two championships in the last three seasons there, including the championship game MVP in 2005. With that, Williams has become a crowd favorite and a respectable player on and off the court. “My favorite tournament is the beach of course, mainly because we won the championship two times (back to back) and it’s always good to prove to people that the first championship wasn’t a mistake or a fluke. One of the main things I love about the beach is that everyone over there shows me and all of the players much love. What makes this tournament stand out is the competition, and you have to be able to play in the heat for nine straight weeks. It felt great to win both of those championships, especially when you beat the house team (Pops 5), which was stacked with players. If you really examine their roster, they really had three starting line-ups. The first championship was a little better than the second because its the first time the whole team has won a championship and we had veterans on the team such as Rasaun Young, who’s known around the city as ‘Crabby’ and Larry Jones and they were looking for that championship. Plus I received the championship game MVP award in the first championship.” Williams laughs. “I actually could’ve received the championship game MVP in the second championship because I had 29 pts, but we won so I didn’t really care about it.” Williams’ fantastic 2007 Hoops in the Sun campaign escalated him into being selected to the 2007 All-Star Game, his third appearance. The 2007 mid-summer classic was dubbed as the greatest All-Star Game in Hoops in the Sun history. Williams contributed to that fact by sharing MVP honors with Kenny Satterfield. Williams finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 7 steals, to go along with Satterfield’s 42 points and 10 rebounds. “I was kind of surprised that I ended up sharing that award wit K-Sat, but we were the two players on our team that were the most aggressive and even though it was an all-star game and we were having fun, we didn’t want to lose the game. Basically whichever one of us had the ball when we got over half-court was the one that went and scored that bucket.” It would be ironic that Williams would be sharing an award with Kenny Satterfield, someone who he loves to play against. “The person who I love to play against the most would be Kenny Satterfield. He's one of the best ballers I played against, because he's smart, has a lot of knowledge of the game, good defender, great scorer, and he always goes hard, no matter who he’s playing against or where he’s at. I just love playing against anybody who the streets are talking about at the moment because it makes me play even harder and I’ll go at whoever my opponent is.”
Williams taking it to the tin .vs. K1X - Opening Weekend - June 16, 2007
“The nickname ‘Problem’ came from when I was playing in Dyckman one summer. I was just consistently killing and people were just saying ‘That kid is a Problem’ and the name just stuck wit me. I don’t really pay too much attention to names because your nickname is nothing but a title; you still have to prove yourself when you step onto the court. If you have a nickname and you step on that court and don’t do anything, people are going to look at you as a bust.” Is there a differentiation between the game styles of Aaron Williams and “The Problem?” Some people in the streetball world would assume so, but Williams retorts to that common question. “Aaron Williams game is the more organized style of play, more patient, more thinking, and playing more under the direction of my coach. ‘The Problem’ is more for the streets. I feel free to do what I want to do. ‘The Problem’ plays at a much faster pace and a little more out of control, but still, he’s composed and not sloppy. Aaron Williams and 'The Problem’ are aggressive and always have a common goal and that’s to win. Both personas keep a positive attitude no matter what.” IN PROBABLY THE MOST ANTICIPATED part of this article is the talk about Aaron Williams being one of the, if not the most underrated point guard in New York City. People and streetballers will always have their opinion and their opinions can last for years. For someone who can go into any park, get 25, 30 points, win MVP’s, championships, championship game MVP’s and still not be considered one of the elite point guards in the city is a farce. That’s pretty much like saying Ric Flair isn’t the greatest wrestling champion of all time, even though he was champion sixteen times. Williams though, does respond to that important question: Do you personally feel you’re the most underrated point guard in New York City? “Yes, I do feel that I am one of the most underrated players, and point guards, in streetball. I’ve played against all of the so-called ‘top players’ and beat them, destroyed most of them, and my teams are winning. Some players get noticed for their scoring, but they’re not winning. I’m a scorer, but I love to win and hate to lose. Scoring is not always important to me. I’ve learned to like playing defense, and besides, most of those players haven’t done anything that I haven’t. When it comes to taking my team to the playoffs, being a leader, winning championships, winning championship game MVP’s, making it to All-Star Games…like Dr.Dre said, ‘I’ve been there and done that.’” I guess 50 Cent said it best
in his recent song with Eminem called “You Don’t
Know, “You know but you’re acting like you don’t
know.” Aaron Williams realizes that you know, but like
the question that was raised at the beginning, “how do
you solve the problem?”
Any questions, comments or feedback regarding this article, email us at hoopsinthesun@aol.com To view the previous article on Steve Burtt, Jr. or Corey Underwood, click link.
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