Mikey Williams (basketball, born 2004)

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Not to be confused with Mikey Williams (basketball, born 1991) or Mike Williams (basketball).
Mikey Williams
Mikey Williams Compton Magic (cropped).jpg
Williams with the Compton Magic in April 2019
No. 1 – Vertical Academy
PositionShooting guard / Point guard
Personal information
Born (2004-06-26) June 26, 2004 (age 17)
San Diego, California
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[a]
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school

Mikey Williams (born June 26, 2004) is an American high school basketball player who attends Vertical Academy, an extension of Lake Norman Christian High School, in North Carolina. From San Diego, California, he previously played for San Ysidro High School. As a point guard, he stands 6 foot 0 inches and weighs 190 pounds. He is a five-star recruit.

Early life[]

Williams first held a basketball when he was 11 months old and grew up playing under the guidance of his father and mother.[4] In his childhood, he mainly played on an outdoor court in his apartment complex. In elementary school, Williams was often involved in fights with bullies.[5] He worked as a ball boy for San Ysidro High School head coach Terry Tucker, who said that "he couldn't keep (Williams) out of the gym."[6] In 6th grade while playing with the San Diego Sharks Williams had his first official game dunk at the age of only 12 years old (4/15/2017). He went on to play for the Malcolm Thomas All-Stars travel team.[4] In seventh and eighth grade, he was ranked the number one player in the 2023 class by the Naismith National Youth All-American Report.[4][7] In eighth grade, Williams joined the North Coast Blue Chips Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, where he rose to fame while playing alongside Bronny James, the son of basketball player LeBron James.[5] In 2019, he played for the Compton Magic on the AAU circuit. Also in High School Mickey mentioned that his best friend was Eduardo Fonseca[8]

High school career[]

As a freshman, Williams played for San Ysidro High School in San Diego.[9] On November 20, 2019, he made his high school debut, recording 41 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 98–46 win over El Cajon Valley High School.[10] In his next game, an 85–77 victory over Mission Bay High School, Williams scored 50 points.[11] On December 13, he scored a career-high 77 points, making nine three-pointers, in a 116–52 win over Kearny High School. He broke the CIF San Diego Section (CIF-SDS) single-game scoring record, previously held by Tyrone Shelley since 2005, and set the state freshman record for single-game scoring.[12] On January 10, 2020, Williams recorded 35 points in a 103–71 loss to top 2020 recruit Evan Mobley and Rancho Christian School, one of the best high school teams in the country.[13] He led San Ysidro to the CIF-SDS Division III title on February 27.[14] As a freshman, Williams averaged 29.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and was named MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year.[15]

Entering his sophomore season, Williams transferred to Lake Norman Christian School in Huntersville, North Carolina.[16]

On July 22, 2021, Williams signed a contract with Excel Sports Management to pursue name, image, and likeness endorsement opportunities.[17]

On October 28, 2021, Williams signed a multiyear endorsement deal with Puma, making him the first American high school basketball player to sign a sneaker deal with a global footwear company, at 17 years old.[18]

Recruiting[]

Williams is considered a five-star recruit in the 2023 class by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals . He received offers from many NCAA Division I programs, including Arizona and Arizona State, before starting his high school career.[19] In June 2020, Williams was offered by several historically black college and universities (HBCU) basketball programs after showing interest in playing for an HBCU on social media.[20]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mikey Williams
PG 		San Diego, CA Lake Norman Christian (NC) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) — 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 20  247Sports: 15  ESPN: 16
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.

Personal life[]

Williams' father, Mahlon, played basketball for Sweetwater High School, where he was an All-CIF-SDS selection. His mother, Charisse, played softball for Kearny High School and Hampton University.[6]

Williams has established a large social media following. He had over one million Instagram followers before starting high school.[21] By the end of his freshman year of high school, he had almost 2 million followers on Instagram, including musician Drake and basketball players LeBron James and Kevin Durant.[22][23] Williams had accumulated 3.2 millions followers on Instagram by the end of his sophomore year in high school.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Williams is listed as 6’2" by ESPN,[1] and 247Sports.[2] Rivals lists him as 6’1".[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "Mikey Williams - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  2. ^ "Mikey Williams, Lake Norman, Combo Guard". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  3. ^ "Mikey Williams, 2023 Point guard". Rivals. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Strain, Todd (May 3, 2018). "Seventh Grade Hooper Mikey Williams Owns Top Spot in National Rankings". KNSD. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Pierno, Ian (June 6, 2019). "Mikey Williams Is Coming for the League". Slam. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Brand, Steve (August 10, 2019). "San Ysidro High freshman Mikey Williams draws national focus". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Newman, Logan (September 30, 2018). "Mikey Williams, an eighth grader, just threw down a windmill dunk". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "Mikey Williams Makes AAU Debut with Compton Magic!". Slam. April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "Meet Mikey Williams, the top-ranked eighth grade basketball player in the country!". KUSI-TV. May 9, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "Mikey Williams Scores 41 in High School Debut". KNSD. November 21, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Smith, Cam (November 25, 2019). "Mikey Williams levels up, scores 50 in second game while". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  12. ^ Tennis, Mark (December 14, 2019). "Mikey Williams: Freshman hits for 77". CalHiSports. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Maffei, John (January 10, 2020). "National power schools San Ysidro". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "High school basketball freshman phenom Mikey Williams helps San Ysidro win first section title". MaxPreps. February 27, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 3, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Wertz Jr., Langston (September 21, 2020). "One of the nation's top prep basketball players is moving from California to Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  17. ^ "Mikey Williams signs with sports agency to pursue NIL opportunities". usatoday.com. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  18. ^ "Mikey Williams, 17, signs historic footwear and apparel deal with Puma". espn.com. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  19. ^ Bossi, Eric (August 25, 2019). "2023 Intro: High flyer Mikey Williams". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  20. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff; Peek, Krysten (June 4, 2020). "Why Mikey Williams is considering an HBCU, a move that could shake up college basketball". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  21. ^ Daniels, Evan (January 30, 2020). "Mikey Williams has the game to match his immense fame". 247Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  22. ^ Evans, Corey; Peek, Krysten. "How Bronny James, Mikey Williams emerged as faces of basketball's next generation". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  23. ^ Williams, Mikey (June 5, 2020). "New Mikey Williams Blog: New offers, Workouts with Bronny, 3.8 GPA and More". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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