Winston-Salem, N.C. — Earlier this month, Jordan Brand-sponsored Team CP3 hosted their first-ever mini-camps for the organization’s high school and middle school players. The feeder teams for Team CP3 under the moniker “CP3 Basketball Academy” and the showcase event provided an opportunity to evaluate the program’s up-and-coming talents.
The CP3 Basketball Academy eighth-grade squad is expected to be competitive on the national scene in the Class of 2025, and with the season quickly approaching, there are high hopes for a roster loaded with promise. One of the longest-tenured players on the team is the starting point guard, Nathaniel “Q” Williams IV, who will be entrusted with captaining the group. Team CP3 program director, Jon Adams, had great praise for the floor general in a recent conversation.
“I know a lot of people want to talk about what these kids are going to be down the road, but in the present, there’s no guard more impactful than Q [Williams] in my mind,” said Adams. “His way of thinking is far beyond his years. He’s steady. He’s mature. He understands what a good play is and he takes responsibility when a mistake is made.”
While Williams’ intangibles are certainly exceptional, there are many tangible aspects of his game that will also benefit the eighth-grade CP3 Basketball Academy team. During the CP3 mini-camp, the cerebral lead guard flashed a slick handle, and proved to be a crafty playmaker as well. His aptitude for dictating pace kept defenders off balance and he demonstrated proficient catch-and-shoot ability on the perimeter. When asked to describe Williams’ game, Adams had the following to say.
“Q [Williams] is stronger than people realize. He reminds me of Chris [Paul] in that regard. I think defenders are shocked because his handle is so advanced already and contact doesn’t bother him. We want to be in situations where he has the ball. We’re going to challenge him to be a stopper defensively. That’s the next step, but he’s ready to lead.”
Adams said that with continued improvement, he feels most, if not all, of the eighth-grade team members should be able to compete for roster spots in the program’s high school division, Team CP3, which competes on Nike’s prominent Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. However, he stopped short of crowning any single player as the best on the team, currently.
“We’re very balanced,” Adams commented. “We have a lot of talented guys that are great at what they do. Some people will say that Q [Williams] isn’t the best player [on the team]. But the special thing about him is, the thing that he does best, is making everyone else better.”
Williams will have many opportunities to prove, and improve, his abilities in the coming months. The High Point, North Carolina native is expected to play varsity basketball at Forsyth Country Day School during the 2020-2021 season. The last middle school lead guard to star for the Furies program was Tyler Lewis, who would later graduate from Oak Hill Academy, as a member of the Class of 2012 and a McDonald’s All-American selection.
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