Former Evans High School standout set back by knee injury

Former Evans High School standout Fredie Williams put in a lot of work this summer, and was ready to make his mark as a collegiate basketball player.

The 6-0 guard for the University of Texas was anticipating a big year. Many thought Williams' playing time would be limited because of incoming freshman, B.J. Ford, a McDonald's All-American; however, Fredie was so impressive during the pre-season that Texas coach Rick Barnes had moved him to off-guard to keep him in the starting lineup.

The plan seemed to be working...in the orange-white scrimmage, Williams, not known for his scoring, poured in a game high 19 points. Then in an exhibition win over Alaska Anchorage, Williams' defensive pressure and offensive penetration drew raves from his teammates.

"I think Fredie is playing more aggressive offensively and he was already great on defense. This year he is taking it to the hole and finishing," forward Brian Boddicker said.

Next, in the Longhorns final exhibition, a 91-73 win over EA sports, Williams was having the game of his life until he sustained a severe knee sprain. He had 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes before leaving midway through the second half.

Following the game, further tests revealed a partial ACL tear in addition to the MCL sprain. According to Brian Farr, Williams could miss more thaen six weeks.

"We expect it will take at least six weeks for Fredie to recover from the MCL sprain. Our plans are to monitor his knee during that time. He will go through a rehab program which will address the ACL and MCL injuries in an effort to get Fredie back to activity." Farr said.

If the injury longer than expected to heal, a medical redshirt would be a likely possibility for Fredie.

Local football standout courted

Several Columbia County standouts will be playing on Saturday during the next college football season. Below is a list of some of the players garnering attention from college coaches (seniors only).

Evans: Jon Lee, linebacker - mostly small schools, notably Presbyterian College; Ernest Powell, linebacker - interest from several Division II and NAIA schools, but Powell would like to go to Georgia Southern; Fernando Mickens, versatile in a number of positions - Presbyterian, Furman, and some other small colleges.

Greenbrier: Nick Wandless, fullback/linebacker - several Division I-AA schools (Georgia Southern and Furman) and virtually all southern Division II schools would love to get him.

Lakeside: Adam Frye, offensive line - Furman, East Tennessee State; Adi Filipovic, offensive line - Furman, Presbyterian, William and Mary.

Harlem: Domonique Brown, quarterback - Vanderbilt, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Wofford, Furman, West Georgia; Travis Reese, offensive line - Wofford Presbyterian; Tyler Holley, offensive line - Wofford, Furman, Presbyterian.