Pirates Get Big Things Out Of `Shaq From Yak' -- Davis Freshman (6- 7, 275) Comes Up Big Late In Victory

With the clock ticking down and his team trailing by two points, Davis Coach Shag Williams told his nephew to "post up big."

That's never been a problem for Josh Williams.

"I've been the biggest kid since kindergarten," said the Davis center, who is 6 feet 7 and weighs 275 pounds. "One year a teacher walked in and said, `Are you in the wrong classroom?' "

That teacher wasn't the first to shake a head in disbelief when Williams told her his age. Opposing coaches are doing the same thing this week, particularly after watching Williams score 10 points and grab nine rebounds in the Pirates' 50-49 overtime win over Bellarmine Prep yesterday.

He's big enough to be a senior in college. But Williams, known in Yakima as "The Shaq from Yak," is just a 15-year-old freshman. Expect to see a lot of him in the next three years.

"He has a lot to learn," said sophomore guard Taylor Stubblefield, who scored a team-high 16 points in the Pirates' victory. "But when he's not in there, it does hurt us a little bit."

His first state tournament didn't start the way Williams wanted. He didn't take a shot from the field until the fourth quarter. But he scored eight points in the final eight minutes of regulation to bring Davis (21-6) back from a 35-29 deficit, including the tying hoop with 12 seconds left to force overtime.

That was the play his uncle told him to post up. Shag Williams has plenty of confidence in his nephew. He has known Josh would be tough to stop since Josh visited him at the University of Washington 12 years ago.

"We went out to a gym at Green Lake," said Shag, who played on the last Husky team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and also was a Davis High star. "I was watching him shoot."

Josh Williams, 3 years old at the time, was already shooting at 10-foot baskets.

Jim Scoggins, longtime sports editor of the Yakima Herald-Republic, remembers seeing Josh for the first time a couple of years ago at a halftime contest of a Davis game. Williams had to shoot a half-court shot for $100.

"This big junior-high kid walks out and swishes the sucker," Scoggins recalled. "I said, `Who was that?' "

Opponents are finding out. Williams edged Stubblefield for the Big Nine League scoring title, averaging 17.5 points. Davis finished second to Richland in the conference and at district, but won the regional tournament to qualify for state.

Strength continues to be his greatest asset. He can bench press 305 pounds and squat 405. Opponents bounce off him when he goes for rebounds.

Still, he knows he needs to improve his speed, scoring, rebounding and composure. Davis has lost four of the five games in which Williams got in foul trouble, and he sat out most of the third quarter yesterday with three fouls. He drew a technical for a push late in the final period.

"I need to improve everything," said Williams, whose team played Rogers at 1:30 p.m. today in a quarterfinal.

He's got three years to do it, which is a big problem if you're a Davis opponent.