Blue Devils’ Williams signs with CACC-South
By JOSH FRYE
News Sports Writer
Escambia County High School senior and two-sport standout Luerensley “Lue” Williams is bound for Coastal Alabama Community College after signing a basketball scholarship with the Sun Chiefs on March 14.
The 6-foot-3-inch forward averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per game during his senior season and earned a spot in ECHS’s 1,000-point club by exceeding the 1,200-point career mark.
Williams was also selected as a member of the 2019 Alabama All-State Team.
“I am very humbled by this honor; I am excited to take the next step in life’journey,” Williams said. “It is an honor to sign with Coastal, and I hope I can represent Coastal Alabama, ECHS, the community and my family to the best of my ability. God has blessed me, and I owe it all to him.”
Williams, one of the most respected players to play for ECHS’s basketball team, not only made a name for himself on the hardwood court but also on the football field, where he was the leading receiver for the Blue Devils last season.
“I love the game of basketball and I hope to make it as far as I can,” Williams said. “I am excited for this opportunity. Basketball runs in my family, and I want to represent the community of Atmore in a positive light.”
Williams has grown up within the game, and it has always been his dream to make it to the next level. One chapter of that dream is becoming a reality with his CACC signing.
But at ECHS, he will be truly missed.
“We are going to miss Lue; Lue is one of those kids that doesn’t come up too often,” said ECHS head basketball coach Rodney Jackson. “I appreciate everything that Lue has done for us as a team. He comes from a good family and will go far. He is a leader, and words cannot say how much that I am proud of him.
“We are going to miss him, he is our Shaq or Michael Jordan.”
Robbie Robertson, head coach of Coastal Alabama-South, is confident he will be getting a gem, one that could shine immediately.
“We are very excited to have Lue as a part of our team; he is a major sign for us,” said Robertson. “Lue is a high-quality young man and he is full of character. He is exciting to watch. We are losing some major key players for us this season and we are looking to Lue to fill those shoes. We feel like he can step right in.”
Williams has excelled not only on the court, but off it as well.
“Lue is an excellent student and man of character,” said ECHS principal Dennis Fuqua. “This a great thing for our school, and he is a leader. He is a role model for the school and community. Lue will go far. However, he will be missed here at ECHS. He is an inspiration to his peers and an example of what hard work can do. “Lue will be a beacon and example for his community and a great example for his peers at ECHS.”
Williams is going to have his work cut out for him over the next several months.
According to the Sun Chiefs head coach, following his May graduation from ECHS, the new signee will be hitting the weight room hard while adjusting to college life.