Utah State basketball: Pooh Williams learns defense can be fun to play

LOGAN — When Pooh Williams arrived at Utah State, there was a player making all sorts of noise around campus with his hot shooting, big grin and crowd-pleasing game.

And Williams, who averaged more than 27 points per game as a senior at Federal Way High School in Washington, would have to wait for his turn to be a star for the Aggies — who host Wichita State tonight at 10 p.m. in an ESPN BracketBuster game.

What he discovered while waiting, however, that it wasn't his high-flying offense that would become his ticket to becoming a fan favorite in the Spectrum. Rather, it was a skillset he readily admits he didn't have when he first stepped foot on campus.

"In high school, my coach told me 'You can't play defense to save your life,' " Williams said.

Now, it's that defense that has on several occasions saved Utah State's game and, arguably, made him the most valuable player on a team poised to win a third consecutive WAC regular-season title.

While Jaycee Carroll had a lock on the shooting guard position at USU and became the all-time leading scorer in league history, Williams spent his first couple of years as an Aggie being asked to harass, pester and defend Carroll in practice.

Thus began the transformation from high school scoring machine to defensive specialist.

"Pooh is our best lock-down defender and he's been outstanding for us," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said of his 6-foot-3 junior. "He's come through so many times for us and just shut down guys when we've asked him to."

What Williams, whose first name is actually Earnest, has done has been remarkable.

Game after game, Williams has jumped at the opportunity to guard the best player on the opposing team. Sometimes that's been BYU's Jimmer Fredette (19 points, but just 5-of-15 shooting) or Nevada's Armon Johnson (10 points, 5-of-14 shooting) and other times it's been Idaho's Mac Hopson (7 points, 2-of-6 shooting) or Louisiana Tech's Kyle Gibson (14 points, 4-of-18 shooting).

Whoever it is and whatever the assignment, Williams relishes the task.

"I love to guard the best player on the other team," he said. "When we start scouting a team, I always ask to guard the best player they've got. When I get the assignment, it puts a smile on my face."

And a frown on those he plays against.