Potter, Williams Eager for Long Awaited Debuts

Armel Potter (left) and DJ Williams (right) are ready for their GW debuts after sitting out last season

10/19/2018 11:46:00 AM | Men's Basketball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories

The pair of redshirt juniors spent last season refining their games while sitting out after transferring to GW

By: Eric Detweiler

This time last year, head coach Maurice Joseph presented each member of the GW men's basketball team with a photo of a wolf.

The Colonials posted the wolves in their lockers, providing a constant reminder of the tenacious mentality Joseph wanted them to carry through the season. Above all else, they were going to be stronger as a pack, the coach said.

Each photo had a single wolf. Except the ones given to transfers Armel Potter and DJ Williams.

"I knew they were going to do a lot together," Joseph said. "I wanted them to understand it's going to be a long journey, and they were going to have to stick together.

At first glance, Potter and Williams don't share a ton of common ground.

They play different positions, hail from different parts of the country and arrived in Foggy Bottom with decidedly different collegiate experiences.

Yet they've become close friends on the way to their debut in Buff and Blue.

Throughout last season, the pair worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get ready. They embraced scout-team duty and the extra workouts that come when there are no games to play.

Potter and Williams feel like they made the most of their season on the sideline. The redshirt juniors are counting down the days until they get the chance to prove it, starting with the Nov. 6 regular season opener against Stony Brook.

"It was just two guys on the same mission," Potter said. "We're both trying to prove something to the world. We're both trying to come in here and compete and win games and win a championship in the A-10."

"We've been building a bond," Williams added. "That's like my brother now.

Potter and Williams represented key figures in Joseph's building plan when they joined the program in the summer of 2017. The coach viewed them as the latest in a line of impact transfers who have helped the Colonials, joining the likes of Tyler Cavanaugh, Matt Hart and Patrick Steeves most recently.

After starting 55 games at point guard over two seasons at Charleston Southern, Potter, a New York native by way of Georgia, was eager for a chance to prove himself against an Atlantic 10 schedule, while Williams was a former four-star recruit out of Chicago who was excited about a fresh start after sliding down the depth chart at Illinois.

Both had the physical tools Joseph thought would fit well in his up-tempo system. The coach said the 6-foot-1 Potter might have the most end-to-end speed of any Colonial since Tony Taylor graduated in 2012, and the 6-foot-7 Williams' mix of size and athleticism makes him a versatile defender and a matchup nightmare on the offensive end.

Beyond that, Joseph believed they both could be even better after taking a redshirt season, per NCAA transfer rules.

"They had the rare ability in basketball to just be selfish about getting better," said Joseph, himself a former transfer who sat out a season after going from Michigan State to Vermont. "I told them how fortunate they were to spend an entire calendar year just improving while not worrying about playing in games or learning a scouting report or (focusing on) who they're going to be guarding in a certain game. It was just 'Hey, go get better.'"

Joseph gauged their progress throughout last season by how much havoc they created for the starters as members of the scout team. The coach said both transfers had stretches in which they were the best players on the floor.

Potter missed some time early last season with a sore hamstring but made a difference down the stretch in emulating the A-10's top guards. He was particularly celebrated for his turn as George Mason's Otis Livingston II after Yuta Watanabe bottled up the high-scoring Patriots guard in a home victory. Joseph called it "one of the best scout-team performances ever."

Williams relished the chance to be a variety of opposing players, including A-10 Co-Player of the Year Peyton Aldridge of Davidson.

A few times, he was even asked to portray a back-to-the-basket big man. Regardless of the role, he tried to bring the same energy to practice.

"It's actually a lot of fun," Williams said. "On the scout team, there's really no boundaries. You just go out and play and try to defeat the other team."

The hard work didn't stop on game days.

Before home games last season, Potter and Williams would report to Smith Center for individual workouts with the staff on opposite ends of the floor. While the Colonials were going through pregame warmups, the pair was usually downstairs in the weight room getting in extra lifting or cardio.

When GW was on the road, the staff left a workout plan for them to keep working together on the court and in the weight room. Afterward, they'd meet up and cheer on the Colonials.

"We made sure we were working our tails off," said Potter, who has improved his vertical jump, cut his body fat percentage and added muscle since joining the Buff and Blue. "We'd come in and shoot together. We'd run together on the treadmill. We'd lift together. Whatever it was, we were just pushing each other."

Potter especially focused on improving his jump shot. The fleet point guard connected on a career-best 45 percent of his field goals as a sophomore at Charleston Southern in 2016-17, but he hit on just 31 percent of his 3-pointers and 59 percent of his free throws.

Potter's plan to beef up those figures centered on building comfort in his role in GW's offense. The staff had the newcomer focus on shooting drills designed to simulate game-like conditions.

"This game's all about confidence," Potter said. "No matter if you miss two shots in a row, you've got to have the confidence to shoot again. I feel like my confidence is at a good point now where I feel like my shot is going in."

Likewise, Williams has worked hard to expand his shooting range. The 6-foot-7 guard wants to make sure opponents have to check him on the perimeter this season.

Williams' biggest area of focus has been his conditioning, though. Joseph challenged him to get into better shape to be able to keep up with GW's preferred pace for long stretches.

Since the Colonials reported for summer school, he's dropped 10 pounds by improving his diet. He's reaped the benefits of cooking more at home and cutting out pizza, desserts and trips to his favorite chicken spot.

"Having a consistent diet is pretty tough," Williams said. "It's kind of hard to break bad habits, but I was able to catch onto it, and it's been working pretty well for me."

Now, Potter and Williams are making final preparations for their return to game action. The roommates are ready to learn scouting reports, focus in on individual matchups and take the court before a gym full of fans once again.

They've put in the work, navigating the highs and lows of a season in the background to get to this moment. Like the wolves in their lockers, they've stuck together the whole way.

"It definitely was a long year," Williams said. "Sometimes, it's frustrating when you can't be out there and helping the guys, but we got through it. The year's here now, so I can't wait to get going."