The Milwaukee Bucks’ Maurice ‘Mo’ Williams is among a promising generation of young point guards emerging in the NBA. / Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Bucks’ Star Ready to Rebound From Team’s Disappointing Season
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The 2003 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft is considered one of the best in history, as it produced a great number of All-Star players who are now dominating the league, such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
There is another player who was less heralded going into that draft but has emerged as an up-and-coming talent, steadily improving his statistics and building a good reputation.
That player is Maurice ``Mo'' Williams, the starting point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 25-year-old and his Bucks teammate Charlie Villanueva are in Seoul this week to teach some of South Korea's best young basketballers at the Korea Development Camp, which will last until Tuesday at the Yangjae Education and Culture Center.
``It's been a good experience,'' Williams said of visiting Korea. ``I came in yesterday (Thursday), and I'll be here until Tuesday, so I have a lot to take in from now until then.
``Anytime that you can get into a situation to teach and give somebody some motivation and show them skills that they can get better at, it's a great opportunity.''
Williams, who was unanimously selected as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year in 2002 at the University of Alabama, was taken in the second round as the 47th pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.
Usually players picked in the second round aren't expected to have much success, but Williams was determined to prove that he could play in the world's top professional league.
``It's just playing with that chip on your shoulder, feeling like I have something to prove all the time, that all day, everyday you have to battle and never let up. I think that's what's kind of carried me to where I am,'' said the native of Mississippi, whose right thumb is in a cast after having surgery to repair a torn ligament.
Williams played in a backup role for the Jazz in the 2003-04 season, when he notched 5.0 points and 1.3 assists per game and moved to Milwaukee for the next season.
When T.J. Ford, the Bucks' starting point guard at the time, went down with an injury, Williams, who had never started in Utah, took over and led the young Bucks team while averaging 10.2 points and 6.1 assists in his second season.
From Good to Great
With Ford going to the Toronto Raptors in a 2006 trade, which landed Villanueva in Milwaukee in return, Williams became the Bucks' floor leader, establishing himself as one of the key players on the team and posting terrific numbers ― averaging more than 17 points and six assists in each of the past two seasons.
In 2007, the speedy 1.85-meter Williams, who is a consistent 3-point shooter in addition to having a knack for getting to the foul line, signed a free agent contract with the Bucks worth $51.5 million over six years.
``Financially, Milwaukee was the team that offered the most money,'' he said. ``But I think me being there with the experience I had there and the people I knew there, it made the decision easier.''
However, unlike his rising status in the league, the Bucks have had losing seasons the past four years, while four head coaches have been fired. Scott Skiles, who was hired as the team's coach in April, will take command of the Bucks next season.
``I think that it was a much-needed change,'' Williams said of the Bucks getting a new coach. ``I think there wasn't much of a question about talent. When you have talent already, I think the next thing is to question the leadership of that talent. I think it was a change that was needed, and I think it was a good change on our part to get a proven coach, a demanding coach. You just have to be mentally prepared going into training camp.''
Off the court, Williams, a father of three, started a charity for children, the Maurice Williams Foundation, in the summer of 2005. The organization works to enhance the life of children and young adults through sports and charitable activities.
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr
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