Guest speakers are nothing new to students here at Ascension. Last week, AES students were blessed enough to have guest speaker Alan Williams come to the SMP Campus to speak about the importance of teammates, athletics, and everyday perseverance.
Alan Williams is the author of the renowned non-fiction novel known as Teammates Matter.
Alan Williams was a walk-on basketball player at the Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Alan played a total of 59 minutes of basketball his entire college career. Through this experience Allan learned the importance of character, being part of a team, and the key to never giving up.
Williams travels across the country from high school to high school to share his one-of-a-kind experience at Wake Forest and retell the many lessons he learned as a walk-on athlete in a sea of all-star players.
“My main in goal in all of this is to put the respect back into sports and teach everyone the importance of teammates,” said Williams.
He said he throughly believes that in talking about his personal college failures, successes, and learning experiences students can connect with him on a personal level.
Williams also speaks about his chance to be a part of team with all-star players such as Chris Paul. Williams said he throughly believes that he learned some of the most important life lessons from Paul such as character, bravery, and perseverance.
After the presentation, Williams answered a few questions for The Authored Ascension about his book, interaction with readers, and his personal opinion on traveling across the country to speak with students of all ages.
“My story doesn’t end with me being carried off a field or a heroic moment,” Williams said. “So from that I have heard amazing personal stories which are similar to mine, where people learn from their failures, success, and journeys as an athlete.”
Williams also stated that he knew immediately after his graduation from undergrad that he wanted to write a book.
“My book is a response to question a reporter asked me after one of my final games as a walk-on,” Williams explained. “He asked me, ‘Why did you want to be on a team if you were never going to get to play.’ Teammates Matter explains that sports isn’t just about the statistics and what people see in the stands, its about the process, the journey, and the commitment of being an athlete on a team.’ ”
When asked about his opinion on speaking to high schoolers across the U.S. Alan said that, “If there is a community and venue in which I believe student athletes, coaches, and parents can be impacted by the message that it isn’t just about the individual, but about the team, then I will definitely seize that opportunity.”