AJ Williams always believed he was destined to end up on the basketball court.
A sophomore forward for Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy, Williams fell in love with the game at an early age.
Williams, whose dad is former Vanderbilt player Anthony Williams, tried basketball and baseball, but only one became his passion. Chalk it up to his DNA.
“I knew it was destined because it just ran in my family,” said Williams, who has a godsister playing basketball at Memphis and a cousin at Ole Miss and whose mother played basketball at Auburn-Montgomery. “It’s really just in my bloodlines to do it.”
As it turns out, he is pretty good at the sport.
The No. 1 player in the class of 2028 — per 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN — averaged a state-leading 31 points per game this season with nearly 13 rebounds per outing. He helped lead ELCA to the GHSA state tournament, in which ELCA defeated Kell in the first round Tuesday.
Williams, who hails from Hampton, transferred to ELCA after spending his freshman season with Dutchtown. He came with high expectations — ones that were quickly confirmed with a dazzling performance.
“He opened our first scrimmage up with 52 points,” ELCA coach Andretti Loyd told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think that really kind of eased his nerves a little bit.”
Williams brought a star-power vibe with him to the Chargers. To those outside of the program, he was a phenomenon capable of becoming one of basketball’s next big names. But to his teammates, he was just AJ — a down-to-earth, approachable friend.
The humility set a standard for ELCA: If the top player in the country can hold himself accountable, you can, too.
“The kids love him here,” Loyd said. “If he’s going somewhere in school, we’re walking together, and the kids come up to him, he just kind of smiles and says, ‘What’s up?’”
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Williams already had the talent needed to sustain a career before joining the Chargers. His statistics — an average of over 19 points, five rebounds and five assists per game during his freshman season — proved that.
Williams could become the first Georgia player recognized as the nation’s No. 1 senior prospect since Wheeler’s Isaiah Collier in 2023.
But despite the attention, he remained hesitant to become a vocal leader. The 16-year-old is naturally quiet, so being outspoken was out of his comfort zone. Williams aimed to venture out of that safe space this season, and ELCA is enjoying the benefits.
“Guys (are) starting to kind of buy into him more,” Loyd said. “Him really (valuing) that, and really just trusting his teammates and then them trusting him.”
By all accounts, Williams is blossoming as a leader. He’s encouraging his teammates at the free throw line, sending them supportive text messages and even serving as the liaison between coaches and players on the court.
He credited the growth to having a coach like Loyd in his corner, who he trusts. The two’s relationship dates back to Williams’ eighth grade year when he played on the junior varsity team for ELCA.
“I feel like whatever I say, coach is going to always back it up,” Williams said. “He’s instilled the confidence in me.”
At the time, Loyd closely watched as the young, still developing teenager challenged the varsity players, even telling his coaching staff that the kid was “going to be really special one day.”
It remains to be seen if Loyd recognized that “one day” would be for his varsity squad as the top player in his class.
“When we heard he was coming back, it was like, ‘Man, wow, this is awesome,’” Loyd said. “Because we never had a disconnect.”
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Williams could have finished his high school career on cruise control. He already has the high rankings, publicity and offers from schools such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn and Indiana.
But he did not even consider the possibility of coasting because he knows everything he’s worked hard to build — the trust with his team, the notoriety, the enjoyment of the game — can crumble in an instant.
“I know it can go away in one snap,” Williams said. “If I come out being cocky, have a bad attitude, it only takes one person to profile me.”
So instead, he keeps doing what he’s done for most of his life — staying humble and continuing the game he was destined to play.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
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