Louisville basketball: Practice honors just a start for Williamson

Louisville basketball’s Samuell Williamson has received another honor for his performance in practice.

It is always a good sign when a young player is putting together a solid week of practices that earns praise from his coaches.

That is exactly what Samuell Williamson did this week when he earned the “gold jersey” for his performances in practices a week ago.

The jersey is a staple of Chris Mack‘s that rewards players for their hard work that fans may not be able to see. Williamson was graced with the honor to wear the jersey this week.

He has had his fair shares of struggles on the floor in games this year, but at some point you would expect that an accomplished week of practices should carry over when the cameras are on.

Unfortunately for Williamson, he has struggled to find his way in the past handful of games including a season low in points (1) and minutes (14) in Louisville’s latest game against Virginia Tech.

Williamson’s biggest issue is that he is having a hard time keeping himself involved over the course of the game. He disappears in games and it just does not feel like he has a pure role that he can hang his hat on with the team. He’s too talented to be forgettable.

Now, Williamson is young. He is just a sophomore with plenty of upside and room to grow. But his role is not clear at this point and that is some cause for concern.

In some phases, he is a player that can score at all three levels at 6’7″. He is certainly capable of doing so, but what he is great at is starting to become a major question mark. I was under the impression that he would come in right away and be an elite mid-range shooter. While you see the flashes, it does not feel like that facet is all the way developed yet.

Certainly we should praise Williamson for any work he has done in practice to earn the gold jersey. It is a fantastic start. But what is going on with the former five-star? Chris Mack has some idea.

That comment regarding Williamson was a statement in his postgame press conference that is a true attempt to try and jolt him to be the player he is capable of being.

Mack has a good case for that sentiment. At times, Williamson does not look like the imposing figure on the court that he should be in year two. Similarly, he does not always appear as a confident player until shots are going down for him. If he is missing shots, it always seems to be a low-energy period of time for Williamson. When the shots go down, he plays with much more pace and hunger.

In the future, Williamson will have the opportunity to make himself an alpha for all 40 minutes. Maybe his decline in minutes against Virginia Tech will be a jolt for him. Perhaps it is something else. At this time, he is a player that needs a hot start to get his confidence going.

Sam Williamson came to Louisville with a ton of hype. It is time the hype starts to surface at a more consistent rate.