Senior forward Cameron Williams has become a silent leader for Redondo’s elite boys basketball program
When Reggie Morris, Jr. took over as head boys basketball coach at Redondo Union High School prior to the 2012-13 season, his main objective was to turn a struggling team around and make it one of the California’s elite programs.
It didn’t take long for his philosophy to pay dividends, taking a team that finished the previous season with a 10-17 record to a CIF-Southern Section Division 2A title and State Division 2 championship in his first season.
Redondo’s rise continued. It competed in Division 2AA in 2013-14 and jumped two divisions into Division 1AA for the 2014-15 campaign.
Beginning in the 2013-14 season, the CIF-Southern Section created a new Open Division. At the end of the season, the top teams, regardless of which division they were ranked in, would be selected to compete in a tournament that would decide a true champion of the section.
Redondo has been among the teams in the Open Division each year since its inception and will undoubtedly be selected again this season.
The Sea Hawks’ rapid rise can be attributed to Morris’s practice methods and team concept. Often outsized against other elite teams and lacking a “superstar” player, Redondo remains competitive with a strong defense and teamwork, with each player assigned a specific role.
Senior Cameron Williams fits Morris’s system to a tee. Although soft spoken, the 6-foot-5, 175-pound forward has become a leader and a vital cog in the Redondo basketball machine.
“Cameron is an irreplaceable piece to our team, Morris said. “He does the dirty work and is invaluable to our success. Without Cameron we would have no chance at being an elite-level team.”
Williams feels the biggest strength to his game is his hustle.
“I do the little things to help our team win like taking charges from opposing players and rebounding on both ends of the court,” Williams said. “I don’t care much about stats as long as we win.”
Insider.espn assesses Williams as “a sinewy wing forward type that possesses great basketball instincts. He is a quick athlete who always appears to be around the ball via rebounding or finishing in the paint area. He has very good length, soft hands, and a nice touch out to the elbow.”
Redondo is vying for its fourth consecutive Bay League title and hopes to improve on last year’s postseason when the Sea Hawks dropped their opening round game in the Open Division tournament before losing to Long Beach 48-40 in the Consolation Finals,
Williams expects Redondo to advance further than the CIF State Southern California Regional semifinals, where it has been eliminated the last two seasons.
“I want to end this season with no more losses,” Williams said. “I think our chances are very good. We just have to stay together as a team and continue to improve every game.”
At press time, Redondo had an 18-4 record but was stunned by a 59-55 home loss to Bay League rival Inglewood on Jan. 29.
“Everything comes for a reason,” Williams said in reference to the Inglewood game. “It was a wake-up call reminding us that we can’t take anything for granted. We need to play every team like they’re an Open Division opponent.”
Williams realizes that not being selected to play in the Open Division would give Redondo a much better shot at winning a CIF title but the team doesn’t consider that an option.
“We want to play among the very best. We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Williams said. “Winning a CIF title against lesser opponents wouldn’t mean a thing to us,”
Williams’s confidence in his team is supported by its performance this season but he knows the road to a CIF title will not come easy. Seven of the top 20-ranked teams in the state are in CIF-SS Division 1 AA.
Redondo is ranked No. 10 in the state and No. 4 in Division 1AA. In December, the Sea Hawks dropped back-to-back games to Bishop Gorman (ranked No. 2 in Nevada) and Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Tex.) in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.
At the end of the year in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, Redondo avenged its earlier loss to Bishop Gorman with a 77-69 win before giving Chino Hills, the top-ranked team in the nation and CIF-SS Division 1AA, all it could handle in a 96-80 defeat.
Despite the setbacks, Redondo has enjoyed quality wins including victories over three of the state’s top 25 teams. The Sea Hawks handed No. 4 Folsom one of its only two losses on the season, knocked off No.12 Westchester and beat No. 24 Sheldon of Sacramento,
Redondo has also defeated Florida’s fifth-ranked team Dillard of Fort Lauderdale and Arizona’s sixth-ranked team Bentonville.
Williams scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists against Chino Hills and led Redondo to the Pacific Shores championship, where he earned Tournament MVP honors.
Williams said his two most memorable moments as a Sea Hawk also came during the Pacific Shores competition. As a junior, he scored 22 points in a 77-69 win against Serra and as a sophomore he grabbed 16 rebounds in a 66-60 victory over Campbell Hall.
Winning the highly-competitive Tarkanian Classic last season and playing in the CIF State tournament are tops on Williams’s prep career highlight list.
Williams was introduced to basketball when he was five years old and began playing at the YMCA in Westchester. Although his two older brothers were not athletic-minded, both parents played high school sports.
Dad Gregory played basketball and football and mother, Yvette, competed in girls volleyball.
“My parents have been the biggest influence on my life and athletic career,” Williams said. “My dad was the first one to teach me basketball and my mom learned to love the game along with me.”
Williams also credits his coaches and teammates for his success as a player and a person.
“Coach Morris pushes us,” Williams explained. “He holds high energy, competitive practices that help us in the long run. He’s helped me with my discipline by setting rules and I’ve learned to keep my head in the game for four quarters.”
Last summer, Williams played for the Hometown Favorites, a travel team coached by Morris.
“Cameron is a man of few words, but when he does voice his opinion he is always heard,” Morris said. “He is a hard worker and is a great young man that comes from a great family.”
Maintaining a 3.6 GPA — in addition to practices and games on the hardwood — allows little free time for Williams so he takes advantage of every opportunity to relax.
“Our team has great chemistry and hangs out a lot at each other’s homes,” Williams said. “My teammates always pick me up when I’m a little down.”
Like many teenagers, playing video games is a part of socializing and it’s no surprise that one of the favorites among the Sea Hawks is NBA 2K16.
Williams hopes a deep run in the playoffs will help him achieve his goal of receiving a scholarship and playing basketball in college.
“I used to think I would like to go into engineering but math is my least favorite class,” Williams said. “I would like to remain in athletics, though, possibly going into sports medicine.”
