By Joe Mason
For the Times
You could call it a quick transition.
More accurately, it was a very fast transition.
Sean Williams is a senior on the Cardinal Dougherty High School basketball team. He spent his first three years of high school playing basketball for Springfield High School in Montgomery County, competing in the Suburban One League.
While Williams was a top player for his school, the play didn’t necessarily fit the small forward.
“It was slow, real slow,” Williams said. “Playing for Dougherty is a lot different. First, we play against much better competition than I did at Springfield. Second, my teammates run a lot more. I love playing here.
“I liked Springfield, but it wasn’t my kind of basketball. I like to get out and run. Here, we do that. But we’re also smart about it, we only run when we have numbers. Playing for Dougherty is much better in all aspects, and I’m really glad I got here.”
So are the Cardinals, who just finished an amazing Catholic League Northern Division schedule that saw them finish in second place.
Dougherty had been a basketball factory in recent years, but it appeared that dynasty was just about over after the team graduated four starters and all but two players in its rotation.
Back were senior center Brandon Savage and swingman Isiah Mason. The only other thing coach Mark Heimerdinger was left with was question marks.
Williams answered one of those questions.
“Sean has been a very important part of our success this year,” Heimerdinger said. “He learned a few things about how we play basketball at Cardinal Dougherty and he has done his best to fit in. He’s played some extremely important minutes for us, and he tries his best to play smart basketball.”
On Sunday afternoon, Williams helped the Cardinals assure themselves a spot in the Catholic League Northern Division playoffs when he scored six points to help his team down Archbishop Ryan, 54-49, in a divisional game.
On Saturday, Dougherty will once again square off with Archbishop Ryan, this time in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs. The game will be played at Ryan, site of both of the first-round Northern Division playoff games on the schedule. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
For Dougherty, it will be another trip to the Catholic League playoffs, a trip the school has made in each of the past 10 seasons. But for Williams, it will be the first time he’ll compete in the PCL postseason.
“I’m really excited because we’re playing pretty well right now,” Williams said. “Things are a lot different now than when the season started. I think most people thought we were going to have trouble this year, but we didn’t.
“We’ve come a long way,” he said. “A lot has to do with the talent. We have a lot of players who care good, man. Plus we have coach (Heimerdinger) who has won a lot of games and he knows his stuff. He helps us a lot.”
Williams has also contributed.
Unlike last year, when he was a scorer for Springfield, Williams has contributed in a variety of ways.
Sometimes he’s called upon to rebound.
Other times he’s out there to shut down an opposing player.
Then, sometimes, he’s called on to score.
No matter what role he plays, he’s always having fun, provided the Cardinals emerge victorious.
“Winning makes you feel good,” he said. “When you’re winning, it really doesn’t matter how it goes down, as long as you’re winning.
“That’s been the biggest adjustment for me, but it hasn’t been too hard,” Williams added. “Last year I was more of a scorer. This year it’s not my role, but I’m still having fun. This year was perfect.” ••