Chester High School Lady Jacket basketball standout Destiny Williams has done it again.
For the fourth consecutive year Williams has been named to the Southern Illinois Coaches Association "All-South" team for girls Class 2A Basketball.
"She has made a clean sweep of this honor," said CHS Head Basketball Coach Pat Knowles. "Not many players have achieved that goal!"
Williams, a four-year starter for the Lady Jackets, also earned "special mention" honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association for her 2020 season.
None of this recognition surprises Knowles.
"Destiny has been a great leader for our squad all four years and she has a wonderful work ethic," he said. "She works 12 months, 365 days, seven days a week to get where she has gone."
Knowles said Williams' unselfish play and work ethic has left an impression on the underclassmen on the team.
"Destiny has set such a great example for our younger girls ... they have bought in to her work ethic by watching her work and play," he said. "She leads by example and that buy-in has really helped our team as a whole."
From the beginning of her high school career, Williams was standing out.
As a freshman, she was selected to the Sparta All-Tournament squad, the Lebanon All-Tournament squad and the Chester Lady Jacket Mid-Winter All-Tournament squad, and she was the Mid-Winter Classic MVP.
Her sophomore year Williams again made the All-Tournament teams at the Sparta Tournament and the Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic.
As a junior, Destiny was named to four all-tournament teams: Sparta, Lebanon, Chester and the Carbondale Mid-Winter Classic.
This year, she was named to the all tournament teams at the Sparta Invitational, the Lebanon Holiday Tournament, the Carbondale Mid-Winter Classic and the Chester Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic, where she was also selected MVP.
Williams was named to the Black Diamond Conference West Division "All-Conference" team all four years at CHS. Her junior year she was further named as the "Most Valuable Player"in the BDC and her senior year Destiny was the Captain of the 2020 "All-Conference" team.
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) also honored Williams her junior and senior years. As a junior Destiny was a 2nd Team All-State selection and this year she was given "special mention."
Knowles said Williams holds five individual records at CHS:
• The single-game record for most free throws made (16), breaking the 2000-01 record held by Amber Stewart. Williams broke the record this season in a game against Mt. Vernon.
• The single-season record for most points (566), which she set her junior year.
• The single-season record for most field goals (212), also her junior year.
• The single-season record for best free throw shooting percentage (81.1%), also set her junior year.
• The single-season records for most assists (119), which she set her final year.
During her four years (which also featured fellow seniors Ally Rowold and Audrey Hopper, the Lady Jackets went 68-52.
Williams also holds eight "all-school" career records:
Most points scored, 1,836
Most field goals, 685
Most free throw attempts, 428
Most free throws made, 326
Best free throw percentage, 76.2%
Most assists, 406
Most steals, 289
and the 1,000th Career Point Club (2018-2019 season).
Destiny Williams' sports career began at Chester Grade School, where she competed each year in the Elks Hoop Shoot and as a third grader she was the 2011 National Runner-Up in the finals competition held in Massachusetts.
She also was an excellent student at CGS, graduating in 2016 as class valedictorian.
At CHS, Williams has carried a perfect 4.0 GPA and is a member of the Summit Chapter of the National Honor Society. She was also selected as a 2020 Illinois State Scholar.
She is a flute player with the band and this year sings in the Concert Choir.
After graduation, Williams is heading for Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas on a basketball scholarship, where she will compete for the Cavaliers' head coach Ben Conrad and pursue a degree in sports management.
"Coach Conrad plans to use me as a combo-guard playing at both point guard and as a shooting guard," Williams said. "I first met Coach Conrad at a summer basketball tournament in Columbia, Missouri. I like his style and think that Johnson County will be a good fit for me."
After two years she will transfer to a bigger school to finish her degree, and where she hopes a Division I or Division II team will pick her up.
Her future looks bright.
"I would like to coach or become involved with some aspect of training," William said. "If offered the opportunity I could even continue to play at the next level. Right now I just want to concentrate on getting my education and play college ball."
As Knowles gets ready to say goodbye, he said her memory and influence on the Lady Jacket program will last forever.
"Our coaching staff is very proud of her," he said. "We will really miss her, but wish her the best of luck in her college career."
As Williams looks forward, she took a moment to look back.
"I'd like to give a big thank you to my family, friends, coaches, teammates, and community that have taken part in this long journey," she said. Now it's on to the next chapter in my educational and basketball career."
