| Show Jazz's rookie Deron Williams starts career at Salt Lake Community College Brett Globe Weekly News The people of Salt Lake City gotto got gotto to see the Jazz's first round draft pick Deron Williams play for the first time last Friday and Saturday night After about three months falling to North Carolina in the championship game the point guard Williams from the University of Illinois is getting his first taste of experience in the Lifetime Activities Center at Salt Lake Community College Williams is playing in the 2005 Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue a summer league for rookies and players to help develop better basketball basketball basketball bas bas- skills and it allows the coaches to watch the players The Jazz who originally received a disappointing sixth pick for the 2005 Draft Lottery back in May knew they would have to tomake tomake tomake make some sort of deal to get the player they wanted in the draft So Soon Soon Soon on draft day five hours before the Jazz had to make their selection they made a trade with the Portland Trailblazers that would enable the Jazz to get their guy The guy the Jazz wanted Deron Williams and they got him with the third pick in inthe inthe inthe the 2005 draft The Jazz received the third pick in the draft through a trade that sent Utah's initial sixth and picks in the draft plus a future first round pick to Portland who currently owned the rights to the third pick So it begins Deron Williams' Williams journey through the and his p was right here here here-at at the Salt Lake Community College Ironically enough his journey started started started start start- ed with the same players he last played in college Those players being Marvin Williams from North Carolina who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks the next night he went against Sean May and Raymond Felton of the Charlotte Bobcats both from North Carolina However the point guard Felton did not play against Williams and the Jazz because of a strained left groin Williams first shot of the revue Friday night was a wild chuck at atthe atthe atthe the backboard that banged off the rim Williams did though go on to hit three of his next four shots in Fridays Friday's game against Atlanta His first two points brought the packed Lifetime Activities Center crowd to their feet as Williams took a hard spin to the left and threw up a teardrop teardrop teardrop tear tear- drop floater that ringed around the rim before finally falling in He then put in two consecutive to reach six points by the end of the first half Between the back to back games of the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue Williams averaged 60 points a game 45 assists through 41 minutes of play shooting 35 percent percent percent per per- cent from the field Williams turned the ball over eight times through two games which matched his eight personal fouls through two games Williams wasn't impressed with his play Im thinking too much out there I got to let the game come to me Williams saidI saidI saidI said I got to play with a lot of confidence confidence confidence dence and I didn't do that Williams said this summer league isn't very intimidating and its it's not any tougher than playing in the college college college col col- lege league he just needs to get out there and play Williams claims that hes he's more of ofa a pass first type player and that's exactly what head coach of the Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan wants Williams averaged 68 assists a game during his junior year at Illinois He led the Ten Big-Ten Conference for all three years in assists he played at Illinois and ranked 11 th in the nation in 2005 for assists He ended his junior season season season sea sea- son with assists which broke a former record at University of Illinois Phil Johnson the assistant coach of the Jazz said that he will fit in with Sloans Sloan's system and his job on the court is to look for other people and get other people involved People cant can't expect too much from him Williams hes he's got gota a lot to learn hes he's got a long way to togo togo togo go and hes he's got a lot of work to todo do Johnson said Its going to be bea a long haul for him but he shows a alot alot alot lot of promise and hes he's a great kid Gary Briggs who is the athletic trainer for the Utah Jazz said Williams has very good strength Williams stands at 6 3 and pounds Briggs also said Williams is in better shape than he was at the end of his college career and he willbe will willbe willbe be in even better shape by the time the season starts in the fall During his junior year at Illinois Williams averaged points a game and received numerous awards and mentions and barely fell six points shy of a national title As of now Williams is the only existing name on the Jazz roster at atthe atthe atthe the point guard position Keith Mcloud and Howard Eisley each played for the Jazz last season both are free Raul Lopez the point guard from Spain that has been with the Jazz for the last two years is probably not returning This leaves only Williams on the team after he signed a contract on July 11 tho Obviously we need some help there Johnson said concerning concerning concerning con con- the absence of the point guard position besides Williams Well get some guys Kevin OConner will fill in and try to get some people With a free agency list that is watered down there arent aren't many people out there to look at You would expect the Jazz to sign re-sign Keith Mcloud However according to Phil Johnson the Jazz asked Mcloud to come play in the Rocky Mountain Revue and Mcloud declined the invitation We would have liked to have him but we cant can't force him to be here said Johnson Its his choice hes he's a free With only about three and a half months away from next season t k 4 r y Lv r a. a i ir it r P PI t I fj 4 n II d CD 3 J 0 r t cu Williams No 25 watches Deron Williams Utah Jazz's first draft pick and Brown No 45 duel for the basket Williams will have plenty of preparing to do He will finish this revue which runs until July 22 and then the fall camp which begins in October Just weeks after that Williams will play in his first official official official cial game perhaps as the starting point guard |
