As someone who played a big part in Kiana Williams’ development into one of the country’s top girls basketball players, he couldn’t help it.
“When her name came across the screen, I cried,” Campbell said when the team was announced on ESPNU on Jan. 15. “My wife laughed at me, asking what you are doing? I was just so happy because I know all the hard work she put in. Her calling me and asking to go to the gym at 5 in the morning. The commitment she put into the game paid off.”
“When her name came across the screen, I cried,” Campbell said when the team was announced on ESPNU on Jan. 15. “My wife laughed at me, asking what you are doing? I was just so happy because I know all the hard work she put in. Her calling me and asking to go to the gym at 5 in the morning. The commitment she put into the game paid off.”
Williams, Wagner’s point guard for the last four years, had indeed attained one of her goals.
“Every basketball kid’s dream is to be a McDonald’s All-American,” Williams said. “A lot of greats have played in that game. To have your name considered with that group is an honor.”
Williams, 17, is the fifth girl from the San Antonio area selected to play in the prestigious national showcase. Her former high school teammate, TCU’s Amber Ramirez, played in the game last year.
Williams, who has signed with Stanford, will suit up for the West at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.
That’s when he and Michael Williams — Kiana’s father and a man who has taken care of Campbell since he was 9 months old — took the reins in molding Williams.
“It’s a real special bond that we have,” said Campbell, who is the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston High School. “She’s been with me ever since I got back from college. I think basketball has enhanced that, always making sure she was in the gym getting better.”
Kiana Williams has always taken her older half-brother’s guidance to heart. As Campbell likes to point out, she is not the family’s first All-American. Campbell, one of the most prolific rushers in Judson’s history, was selected to play in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
“Knowing I have an older sibling to look up to, I want to follow in his footsteps and hopefully become a coach,” Kiana said. “He set the bar high, and hopefully, I can meet the expectations he instilled in me. I’m thankful to have him in my life.”
Once Michael Williams realized his daughter wanted to pursue basketball, he made sure she learned the basics first. After Kiana learned to dribble, they would go to the park, where she learned to pass. She didn’t begin shooting until she mastered those two skills.
“He told me I couldn’t shoot until I learned to catch the ball first,” Kiana said. “He instilled mental toughness in me. I look at those days and laugh at them. Great memories.”
Michael Williams also took the baby-steps approach when he served as Campbell’s youth football coach.
“I coached Chancy when he was young,” Michael Williams said. “Basically, he was taught right. I wanted them to learn the basics and fundamentals and the right way to play sports.”
Kiana took to basketball right away.
“You could tell at a young age, she was going to be real good,” Campbell said. “You could see it from day to day, week to week and month to month, how her growth was getting in basketball.”
She began playing organized basketball in a CYO league in third grade. In fourth and fifth grade, Kiana played for a club team Campbell and Michael Williams formed.
She didn’t realize her full potential until the summer after sixth grade when she began playing AAU basketball for former Jay and UT standout player Clarissa Davis’ TeamXpress. It was the first time Kiana played travel basketball, and the notion she could play college basketball was planted. She thrived on a team that had several players five years older than she was.
“It made a great impression on her,” Michael Williams said. “We didn’t know which way it was going to go with Clarissa. It was exciting. She performed well.”
The following year, Kiana joined SA Finest, where she remained until her final AAU season last summer.
Since then, she had transformed into one of the nation’s top players and built an impressive resume.
Williams played four varsity seasons at Wagner. She was a three-time selection for the Express-News’ Super Team and earned Co-Player of the Year honors this season.
Ranked as ESPN’s No. 8 recruit for the 2017 class, Williams signed with Stanford in November. She was also selected as a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association first-team All-American and a Naismith Trophy second-team All-American. She was play in the Jordan Brand Classic too, another national all-star game, on April 14 in Brooklyn, New York.
Campbell knows he helped get her to this point. However, he said it was his sister’s desire to get there that made the difference.
“She’s mature beyond her years,” Campbell said. “She can handle every situation. You can see the growth from year to year. Kiana wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American in eighth grade, ninth grade. It’s been a process. It was her understanding that she had to get better every year and showing that growth every year.”
As much work as she put into it, she said was it was never too much.
“When you do something you love, it can’t be overwhelming,” Williams said. “I love the game of basketball. I want to be around it all my life.”
Williams and Campbell realize their ride together is coming to an end. They think about that each time they workout together.
“He’s just fun to be around,” Kiana said. “I’m going to miss him.”
Campbell said: “I call her my sidekick. Whenever you see me, she’s there. It’s crazy that in a couple of months, she’s not going to be there. It’s like I’m losing my best friend, but I’m not losing her. She’s going on to bigger and better things. … She is growing up, and she has to go out and conquer this world on her own.”
