Ex-Mater Dei Forward Williams Shows His Versatility at San Jose State

Marmet Williams is seemingly everywhere doing a bit of everything for San Jose State. It’s still not enough, but any contribution is appreciated with this bunch.

Williams, who graduated from Mater Dei, plays point guard, shooting guard and small forward and revels in his role. He comes through whenever Coach Stan Morrison calls on him, which is often.

“I like it a lot,” said Williams, a sophomore who played forward at Mater Dei. “It’s an opportunity for me to utilize a lot of my strengths, like putting the ball on the floor and driving. It’s also an opportunity for me to get more playing time too.”

Williams averages 27.2 minutes and 5.9 points. At 6 feet 4 and 190 pounds, Williams has the size and strength to defend small forwards. And he possesses the quickness to keep pace with some of the Big West’s guards.

“He’s a very versatile guy,” Morrison said. “He can play [three positions], but the main thing he does is help take a lot of pressure off of other people. He can handle the ball and he’s a good passer, but he can also go out and play the wing.”

Playing several positions might seem daunting to some. Williams, though, has no worries.

“It’s really not a problem,” he said. “Sometimes when I go in and the game is tight, it’s kind of hard getting into the groove, but then I handle the ball and I’m fine. Besides, most positions are interchangeable.”

Morrison relaxes when the ball is in Williams’ hands. In fact, it’s not unusual to see Williams directing the offense late in close games.

“It shows a lot confidence in me,” Williams said. “I want that because I expected to have a little more pressure on me this season.”

As a freshman, Williams averaged 5.8 points in 24 minutes. San Jose State finished last in the conference, and the losses were tough on Williams. The Spartans are 2-8, 1-1 in the Big West this season.

“It’s a big change,” Williams said. “I was used to winning all the time [at Mater Dei] and now I’m losing, but I’m adjusting. It’s hard to lose, but you just try to look forward to the next game.”

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Tough times: These aren’t quite the days of hoop dreams in Las Cruces, N.M.

The NCAA is investigating charges that two former assistant coaches provided many recruits with the answers to tests on correspondence courses offered through Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Fla. The academic credits the recruits received helped them enroll at New Mexico State.

New Mexico State officials have already imposed several penalties after their initial in-house probe, including a ban on postseason play this season and two years of probation. Moreover, they reprimanded Coach Neil McCarthy for lack of control over his program.

Not surprisingly, the Aggies’ on-court experience hasn’t produced many smiles either. New Mexico State (4-5, 1-0) opened the season with a two-game losing streak and suffered a three-game losing streak.

New Mexico State upset Nevada, 83-68, in a conference opener Friday. But school officials won’t exhale until the NCAA wraps up its investigation and decides on possible sanctions.

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Meanwhile, near the strip: Nevada Las Vegas Coach Bill Bayno has lost several key players because of injuries, doesn’t have anyone taller than 6 feet 5 and must rely on contributions from three walk-ons.

Yet, the Rebels have won three consecutive games since starting 1-5. Thursday, the Rebels (4-5, 1-0) beat Utah State, the defending conference champion, 66-57.

They also upset then-No. 19 Michigan, 66-64, and made an impressive run before losing to UCLA, 89-82. Bayno has accomplished more than most Rebel supporters expected in his first season.

“We’re playing for this year,” Bayno said. “I could say, ‘Well, we’ve got some good players coming in next year . . . ,’ but I can’t do that.

“I’m not the type of person to sit back and wait for next year. We’re going to make this team the best we can.”

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Among the leaders: Long Beach State’s James Cotton, Juaquin Hawkins and Rasul Salahuddin are at or near the top in several Big West statistical categories.

Cotton is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 20.4 points. Hawkins tops the Big West in steals at 2.7 and Salahuddin is second at 2.5. Salahuddin also is second in three-point shooting percentage at 41.9%.

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Big West Notes

Pacific looked like one of the conference’s best teams, beginning the season 4-1. But the Tigers (4-6, 0-2) have fallen apart, losing five straight. . . . Problems continue for Utah State (6-6, 0-1) despite having the Big West’s No. 1 scoring and rebounding tandem. Forward Silas Mills leads the conference in scoring, averaging 21.4 points, and is ninth in rebounding at 7.6. Center Eric Franson, last season’s Big West player of the year, is fifth in scoring at 18.7 points and second in rebounding at 8.5. . . . Long Beach State’s James Cotton and UC Irvine forward Kevin Simmons were selected the Big West’s co-players of the week.