Once a Weakling, Williams Is a Giant

As starting free safety for the NFC East-champion New York Giants, Shaun Williams is a lean, lethal hitting machine at 6 feet 2 and 215 pounds.

But that’s not how Tim Lins, former Crespi High coach, remembers him in the fall of 1992, Williams’ junior year.

Lins said Williams could do only two pull-ups, which made him weaker than some of Lins’ physical education students.

“That’s not true, that’s not true, that’s not true,” Williams said, laughing. “I think I got up to five.”

Whatever the number, Lins and Williams agree that by the time Williams was a senior, he could do 20 pull-ups and had become an extraordinary athlete.

“He really turned it around,” Lins said. “His work ethic popped him up to another level.”

Williams is the Valley boy who has made everyone proud.

He lived in Lake View Terrace and attended Crespi and UCLA. From his first football game as a 7-year-old, he wanted to play in the NFL.

“It’s been a dream of mine and something I worked very hard for,” he said.

He was a first-round draft choice of the Giants in 1998 and spent two years playing as a fifth defensive back in nickel coverages.

When Percy Ellsworth left as a free agent before this season, Williams took over at free safety.

“My first two years, I was watching players play the position, learning what they were doing correctly on the field,” he said. “I watched from the sideline how I could improve.”

Once he got in, Williams never came out. He started all 16 games this season, contributing 94 tackles and three interceptions. At 24, he’s one of the youngest and most promising free safeties in the NFL.

Williams plays in the same secondary as cornerback Jason Sehorn, a former USC standout, but neither talked much about their struggling alma maters this fall.

Williams is preparing for his first semifinal playoff game since high school, when Crespi lost to Eisenhower, 7-3, in the 1993 Southern Section Division I semifinals. The Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC semifinal Sunday.

Williams credits Lins and Troy Thomas, Crespi’s former defensive coordinator and new head coach, for providing direction and helping him reach his goal.

“I owe a lot to those guys,” he said. “They instilled in me what hard work is and what it takes to be great. It’s about work ethic. I learned that at Crespi.”

For high school students dreaming of becoming professional athletes because of the financial rewards, take it from someone who has made it: Worry about money last.

“You won’t make it in this league if you’re just in it for the money,” Williams said. “The only way to make it at this level is to have a genuine love for the game. There are too many competitors out here.”

Lins said he has coached few players in high school who made a greater impact than Williams.

“He was a unique guy,” Lins said. “We were able to take a lot of chances knowing he was back there at safety. There was a time he would just about cover the whole secondary and he was responsible for the run game, too.

“He was bright, smart, motivated. Everything you want in a player, he had.”

Williams returns to Southern California in the off-season, living in Sherman Oaks. He’d love to come home as a Super Bowl champion. Win or lose, he has a refreshing perspective on his job.

“I try to perform to the best of my ability,” he said. “I try to go out every game and make my family proud.”

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Sophomore receiver Kevin Crane of Granada Hills will make an impact next season as a varsity rookie, but he might have a better future as an NFL general manager based on the impressive flag football team he has put together.

Crane has recruited defensive back Bryan Wilson of Granada Hills, receivers Steve Smith and Noah Smith of Taft, and running back Charles Burnley of Valencia to join him Feb. 24-25 for a tournament in San Bernardino. They’ll play in the 16-year-old division.

The team is filled with speed, but who’s going to play quarterback? Burnley will get the initial call. . . .

Get ready for Tyler Ebell, the basketball player. Coming off a football season in which he rushed for a national-record 4,494 yards and 64 touchdowns, the 5-foot-9 Ebell joined Ventura’s basketball team on Monday and hopes to be ready to play tonight against Channel Islands.

Ebell is a shooting guard who likes to dunk. He had four dunks in summer play. Who’s quick enough to guard him? . . .

Coach Brad Katz of Poly is 6-10, but he must feel like a 7-footer at the Sun Valley campus considering there are no players taller than 6 feet.

When Katz participates in practice, he averages five blocked shots. Not bad for someone who was a bench warmer at Reseda. But Katz has turned out to be a better coach than player.

Poly (6-8) has won four of its last five games behind guards Mike Mgdesyan, Joe Hampel and Emilio Sandoval. Hampel, an outstanding left-handed pitcher, is averaging 13.2 points. Mgdesyan is averaging 16.5 points. . . .

Cody Pearson of Notre Dame scored 30 points Saturday against La Canada and contributed the game-winning shot, but it was an off night for him. He missed shots he usually buries and gave up baskets he doesn’t usually allow. His performance showed again how much he has blossomed since his freshman year.

Teammates feed off his leadership, hustle and composure under pressure. He deserves to play at a top college next season. . . .

The surprise team in the Brea Olinda winter baseball tournament last week was Notre Dame, which reached the semifinals behind freshman pitchers Julian Gestewitz and Adam Zucker. Gestewitz pitched five shutout innings against the host school. Westlake lost in the other semifinal. Outfielder Luke Riordan, who has signed with Cal State Northridge, went six for 10 with three doubles. . . .

Justin Fargas, former Notre Dame running back who’s transferring from Michigan, is scheduled to meet with USC Coach Pete Carroll on Friday. The Trojans are the favorite to land him.

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Eric Sondheimer’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or [email protected].