Silver Creek senior lacrosse star Zeddie Williams, who is ranked as a top 10 recruit in the nation, has decided to attend Virginia and will sign his letter of intent sometime next week, according to Black Knights assistant coach Rob Genco.
The Cavaliers compete in the ACC and have won five NCAA Division I national championships.
Williams will be the first athlete from Silver Creek in more than 40 years to receive a full scholarship to a Division I college.
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Silver Creek’s Zeddie Williams, who is one of the best high school lacrosse players in the U.S., has committed to continue his career, and education, at the University of Virgina. The Cavaliers are a traditional power in NCAA?Division I men’s lacrosse, having won five NCAA?titles, the last coming in 2011.
As a sophomore, Williams scored 99 goals in leading the Black Knights to the Class C State Final Four in 2011. Last season, Williams scored his way into the New York State record books with his 534th career point. The previous record holder was Casey Powell of Carthage. His record, which had stood since 1994, was 533 points.
Ohio State, Syracuse and Hobart were among some of the top colleges which showed interest in recruiting Williams.
"Zeddie and I flew down to Virginia last year," Genco said. "I wanted to get him there for the experience. He met the coaches and players and got to see the campus. That was a big step for him. Being there, he realized that could be a place for him."
Genco has been around lacrosse for 10 years and said a player like Williams comes along, "Once every 20 years."
"One, is he is a special person," Genco said. "He is the one in a million. That's the entire package. He has a great head on his shoulders. He thinks about others first. Him, as a human being, is special. I'm more proud of him as a person."
As a football player, Williams has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. On the basketball court, he is on pace to eclipse 1,000 career points, and as mentioned, he holds the state scoring record in lacrosse.
"He will be one of five players in school history to get 1,000 points in basketball," Genco said. "The things he has accomplished will never be done in the state in a long time. How many kids have done that? Even with that, I'm more proud of who he is as a person."
Williams helped the Six Nations Rebels to their fifth Founders Cup title in 2012 in Box Lacrosse. He finished the Founders Cup tournament with seven goals, and 16 assists in four games,
He also helped Six Nations (18-2) finish first in the Southwest Division of the Ontario Lacrosse Association's Junior B Division and was tied for third on the team with 30 goals while recording 37 assists for 67 points, in just 14 games.
"At Virginia, he will have great support group and coaching staff," Genco said. "We talked about the pros and cons of going to each school. The coaching staff was a plus. He kind of thought he would like something closer to home, but the pros outweighed that. Virginia has established themselves as one of best programs in the country. They can treat you and take care of you as a person first. That's why I like it and it was attractive to Zed."
Williams has helped the Black Knights in winning five Sectional Championships and advance to the State Final Four once and the Far West Regionals three times. He is hoping to get the Black Knights to a state title this season before he heads off to college. But even after he leaves, Genco feels Williams' presence could be felt in Silver Creek for a long time.
"We are excited for Zed and we can't wait to see him play at the next level," Genco said. "With Zed making this commitment, it opens the doors for athletes behind him. We have such a great group of kids and talented lacrosse players. I would like to see many kids follow in his footsteps."
