Final Four: 6 things to know about Lakewood Ranch High grad, LSU forward LaDazhia Williams

In a time where guards dominated high school girls basketball in the area, LaDazhia Williams burst onto the scene.

The 6-foot-3 center/forward for Lakewood Ranch High was somewhat of an anomaly. Sure there were other tall girls who played high school basketball, but Williams was different. She was more athletic, could block a shot without fouling and was able to run the court on a fast break.

It was no wonder every Division I college coach in the nation sought her talents.

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And it is not everyday you get a house call from Geno Auriemma, owner of 11 National Championships as the University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach considered one of the best, if not the best, in the land. “He’s actually a pretty cool guy,” Williams said at the time of meeting Auriemma.

Williams is on her third and final stop in college basketball, one that takes her to the NCAA Division I Women’s Final 4 with LSU. The Tigers will play Virginia Tech in one semifinal 7 p.m. Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Here are six things you might not know about Williams.

With the Mustangs

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Playing for Coach Tina Hadley, Williams helped Lakewood Ranch High reach the FHSAA Class 7A State Championship game as a junior in 2016, when the Mustangs lost to Winter Haven, 44-28. It is the best finish in program history.

After scoring a game-high 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the state semifinal against Niceville High, Williams had 11 points and five rebounds in the final against Winter Haven.

As a junior, she averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. As a senior, Williams averaged 19.6 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Both years she was named Herald-Tribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year. As a senior, Williams also was named Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) Class 7A Player of the Year as a junior and Class 8A Player of the Year as a senior.

Away from the Ranch

In 2016, Williams was invited to try out for the USA Basketball U18 National Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Pick of the letter

During her final two years at Lakewood Ranch High, Williams received a bushel of letters from college coaches seeking her services.

After all, Williams was the 12th ranked forward and ranked 48th overall best player in ESPN’s Class of 2017.

She decided to attend the University of South Carolina and play for women’s college basketball standout Dawn Staley.

Williams played in 29 games, including all four NCAA Tournament games, with the Gamecocks, averaging 1.2 points and 1.3 rebounds. In 19 games the following season, she averaged 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds.

On to Missouri

After her sophomore season, Williams transferred to the University of Missouri. She sat out the 2019-20 season and returned in 2020-21 to have her highest scoring season at 12.4 points per game along with 4.2 rebounds.

The following season with the Tigers she averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 boards.

One final stop with LSU

As a graduate student, Williams took her talents to LSU, where she is definitely going out on a high note.

She started and played in 32 of the Tigers’ 34 games, averaging 27 minutes per contest. Shooting 55% from the field, Williams averaged 9.4 points and 6 rebounds along with 34 steals, 31 assists and 28 blocked shots. She recorded season highs of 24 points at Utah and 15 rebounds at Arkansas.

In four NCAA Tournament games, Williams averaged 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Included was a double-double (10-10) against Michigan and a game-high 24 points against Utah.

After Williams had 11 points and 12 rebounds against Arkansas during the regular season, LSU coach Kim Mulkey told NOLA.com, “(Williams) is a big-time player.  She had a quiet demeanor about her where if you are looking for the spectacular play or a kid that runs with her fist pumped all the time, that’s not LaDazhia.

“If you’re looking for somebody who knows the game and understands what you want her to do. You get the stat sheet and say, offensively, there’s the difference in the game right there.”

Personal

Williams now is listed as 6-4. ... She wears No. 0 for LSU. ... During high school she listed meat-lovers pizza as her favorite food. ... Williams said her mother Chanel Griffin and Candace Parker, a WNBA player who led the University of Tennessee to two NCAA championships, as he biggest influences. ... Williams' instagram is _ladazhia

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: LSU basketball: Six things about Lakewood Ranch grad LaDazhia Williams