Player Profile: 2024 Ribault G Caleb Williams
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – Ribault made noise up in North Florida last season and the Trojans are built for another run once again.
2024 6-0 guard Caleb Williams led the charge for his side as he averaged 12.2 PPG, 7.0 APG, 3.6 RPG and 3.0 SPG in his sophomore season.
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He took his game to the next level this past summer playing with CP25 Gold and is an emerging point guard in the junior class.
In a performance in Atlanta against Team Huncho at the On The Radar Hoops “Power 24” event in July, Williams was tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top player who held a deep list of Division I offers. After his strong game, he earned an offer from Paine College after the matchup. He also earned interest from Queens University.
“I think I handled it very great because I knew that I’m a smaller guard and I know I have to take the contact and take everything that was given to me,” Williams said of his AAU summer. “I wasn’t even worried about that, but I knew there was going to come to the time when I needed to be stronger and bigger. My weight trainer got me bigger for the summer and it really helped my game.”
In terms of where he saw improvement in his game from his summer with CP25 Gold, he said his defense was first and foremost.
“My defense improved a lot and then I got more consistent with my shot,” he said. “I started getting more consistent 15-point games throughout the summer.”
Ribault finished last season 16-10, falling in the Class 5A region semifinals to state semifinalist Pine Forest. Along the way, the Trojans lost two back-and-forth double overtime tilts to Maclay and Raines before knocking off No. 2 seed Orange Park in the region quarterfinal.
“My sophomore year was filled with a lot of ups and downs last year. So, when we went to Orange Park nobody believed in us at all. Like everybody thought it was over with,” Williams said. “So, our coaches told us to keep pushing and pushing through it and just put a lot of pressure on them in their guards.
…So we put a lot of pressure and we came back and I hit six free throws in a row in the game. So I think that was a great experience. And then when we went to Pine Forest, it was crazy. The atmosphere was just like, I can’t explain it. Like I have never been in an atmosphere like that.”
Williams is focused on the task ahead this season, a run at a state title.
“The plan is to just work hard every day in practice, we should be working hard like every rep, every scrimmage,” he said. “We got to just keep working hard, be determined and be focused. Stay locked in the prize state no matter what. Nothing else.”
In terms of his basketball career, he started at age four. He said it was in 6th grade when he started to really take the game seriously.
“I was small at the time but I was holding my own, I was scoring the points and like doing my job. Then in the 7th grade was when I was the point guard on the team so I had to have the ball in my hands all the time,” Williams said. “So I was just strictly getting shots, doing everything I can at that age and the 8th grade was crazy. I started scoring high-point games, winning championships back to back.”
As the leader of this Ribault unit, his junior season is crucial in his progress and Williams knows that.
“For this season, I just want to have a great season with my team. We got a few transfers that came in and I feel like they are going to help us out a lot. We got a great defense this year,” Williams said. “We put a lot of pressure on the ball, we hit shots and we know when to shoot it. We know our roles and I feel like everything’s going to click this year.”
2023 6-5 forward Renard Surrency (North Florida Educational) and 2024 6-0 guard Ja’karee Eley (Bishop Snyder) are the transfers that Williams referred to.
With the season nearly upon us, it is clear Ribault is going to be a major factor in Class 4A basketball (after the realignment). Having Williams running the show as a true point guard and consistent scoring threat, the Trojans should have yet another steady campaign and run so be on the lookout.
Fun fact: Williams says he enjoys being in the pool and swimming and he likes to play the baritone. His go-to song is Candy by Cameo.
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Jake Perper has covered sports as a writer since 2010 and a basketball scout since 2015. He was the Southeast Scouting Director for the Prep Hoops Circuit and the lead scout for Prep Hoops’ Florida site for seven years. You can follow him on Twitter @thehoopvibe.