Oklahoma Senior Madi Williams is Not Just Back, She’s Even Better Than Last Year

Oklahoma senior Madi Williams is a two-time unanimous first-team All-Huge 12 ahead.

She’ll be even higher in 2022-23.

“I feel Madi is so constant day in and time out,” Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk stated Tuesday at Huge 12 Tipoff in Kansas Metropolis. “I feel she’s continued to develop actually lots of her guard abilities. , she’s all the time been bodily. She’s all the time been so utility and achieved no matter she will probably do.”

Williams averaged 16.1 factors per recreation in 2019-20, and elevated that to twenty.0 in ’20-21. Final yr Williams’ scoring stood at 18.0, whereas her rebounding and taking pictures share rose.

So the place can Williams be higher in 2022-23?

“I feel she’s a significantly better 3-point shooter,” Baranczyk stated.

Williams’ 3-point percentages the final three seasons had been up and down, from .353 to .286 to .311.

What did Williams work on essentially the most in the course of the offseason?

“Slightly little bit of guard abilities,” she stated, “however principally the 3-point line. I would like to have the ability to broaden my vary and get far more constant from there.”

That wasn’t all, the 5-foot-11 Williams stated.

“Additionally rebounding,” she added, “and protection, to having the ability to exit one-on-one. Every part wants some work, however on the finish of the day, I strive my hardest to get 1 p.c higher each day.”

The Sooners had been picked third within the preseason Huge 12 rankings, and they’re No. 15 in Tuesday’s Related Press Preseason Prime 25 — their first preseason rating since 2017.

With returning starters like Williams and Taylor Robertson and Ana Llanusa (again from one other harm) together with level guards Nevaeh Tot and Kelbie Washington and ahead Skylar Vann main the way in which after going 25-9 in Baranczyk’s first season, there’s lots of expectations on this yr’s crew.

“I feel we’re solely nervous about one expectation — that is our personal,” Williams stated. “We now have excessive expectations for ourselves. And we’re prepared to fulfill these expectations. We’re able to exit and carry out each evening, each recreation evening, come out with as many wins as we will and have a reasonably deep run within the season.”

Robertson led the nation in 3-pointers per recreation final season, but it surely was Williams who led the Sooners inspirationally — and can proceed to guide them in her last season.

“I feel she continues to develop,” Baranczyk stated. “She’s labored, I feel, defensively. , she’s needed to defend the paint loads and she or he is outsized within the paint. I feel she’s been capable of actually broaden her recreation when it comes to her protection, particularly on the perimeter as nicely.”