Vanderbilt-bound Williams carving her own path

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While her mum might describe her as quiet, Australian forward and Under-19 World Cup representative Monique Williams has been making plenty of noise early in her career.

Williams, 18, is the daughter of 500-game SBL veteran Sue Williams and former Division 1 NCAA and SBL import Aaron Williams, and whilst the game was never forced upon her, it was no surprise when she quickly displayed her affinity for the sport.

“She understood the game of basketball well, naturally from the time she started,” Sue said.

“She was always in the right spot at the right time from the beginning. She’s pretty clued on and clever, she’s watched a lot of basketball and learned through watching.”

Coached by her mum, Sue, in her early career, Monique developed a versatile game, empowered to explore her skill set in a position-less environment

Her feel and ball handling, along with her size and interior play, evolved into an optimal hybrid of her parents’ on-court qualities over time.

On paper, her success may have appeared preordained, but it wasn’t without some setbacks along the way.

Set to take part in the NBA Academy Women’s Games in 2022, an ACL tear would derail not only that opportunity but also the next twelve months.

What initially seemed like a minor setback in her development eventually became a pivotal moment when Williams was offered a scholarship to the West Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) just one week into her rehabilitation process.

Supported by physios both personally and within the program, Williams tackled her rehab with determination and developed valuable habits by carefully studying her body.

“They did all the strength and conditioning, form shooting, and ball handling from when she could walk - they were huge for her. [Head Coach Shane McDonald] was a really positive coach and built her back up from scratch from when she did her ACL,” Sue explained.

“It was hard, but she was extremely disciplined. She did everything that was asked of her.”

From her return, things changed. Quickly making an impression with her play,Williams almost immediately received an offer to join the Centre of Excellence women’s program, which led to an opportunity to represent Australia at the 2024 Asia Cup.

Playing in China under Kristen Veal, and going head-to-head against the 7’3” Ziyu Zhang, among other top competitors, was one of the highlights of her young career.

Now committed to Vanderbilt University, the 6’3” front court star faces the next major challenge of her journey. After a relatively quick recruitment process,which included an 8-day whirlwind trip to Stanford, Syracuse, and Vanderbilt in August 2024, Williams chose to play in the SEC for the Commodores.

She has spent the past month settling in on campus before joining the Under-19 Gems squad, currently competing at the FIBA Women’s Under-19 World Cup.

A straight-A student, Williams is poised to excel both academically and on the court, with the mindset and habits necessary to succeed in all aspects of her life.

“She wanted to go somewhere where she could set herself up academically as well as a basketball player. Vanderbilt and a degree there is going to take her along way,” Sue said.

As for what lies beyond? The sky’s the limit. But for her mum, what matters most is that she enjoys the journey.

“I know she’s talked about wanting to make the WNBA, but the reality is competing at the highest level that she can achieve. I just want her to be happy. That’s all I want for my kids.”

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