There was plenty for the Williston boys basketball program to celebrate on Wednesday night as the Red Devils held their annual banquet.
This past March, Williston (29-2) defeated Hilliard, 61-53, to win its second straight FHSAA Class 1A state title.
Williston, along with the Hawthorne girls, joined a special group.
The Red Devils became the first area boys’ team to win back-to-back since Gainesville High in 1999 and 2000.
Last night, guards Aramys Rodriguez (McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas) and Reggie White (Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania), and forward Kyler Lamb (University of Tampa) got a chance to continue playing hoops at the next level by signing with their respective schools.
“Each of these players will contribute greatly to their chosen colleges at the next level,” said Williston boys basketball coach Jim Ervin, who was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Coach of the Year and also finished fourth overall in the voting for the best coach in Florida.
All three players were also first-team selections on the Bosshardt Realty All Area team.
Lamb finished runner-up to Hawthorne’s C.J. Ingram for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Player of the Year after leading the Red Devils in scoring and rebounds (16.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg), along with 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.
“He’s probably the most versatile player, I think, in the state of Florida,” Ervin said. “He can defend, he can play offense. On the offensive end, he can handle the ball and become a playmaker, he can score for us, and on the defensive end, he can defend basically 2-5 for us when we needed him to so that’s how versatile he is on both ends of the court. I haven’t coached that many players that are that productive on both ends of the court.”
Rodriguez averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and led Williston with 6.5 assists per contest while shooting a remarkable 73% from the floor.
“Aramys is a true point guard that controlled the game with his basketball abilities for us this year,” Ervin said. “He can score, assist, and rebound on the offensive end, whatever it took to put his team in position to win. He was a floor general for Williston High School this year.”
White was third on the team in scoring with 10.5 ppg and was second with 5.1 assists while adding 4.4 rebounds. “Reggie is a complete player that brought us a winning edge every game,” Ervin said. “He is one of the most versatile and explosive guards in the area.”