Darren Williams turns focus to Florida Gulf Coast after leaving an impact at Archbishop Ryan

Darren Williams isn’t quite ready to say goodbye.

The soon-to-be Archbishop Ryan graduate recently concluded his high school basketball career and served an integral part in leading a Ryan team that reached the Catholic League final and PIAA Class 5A state semifinals.

“I’ll always wish I could do it over,” said Williams, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 16.4 points, 2.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds this year.

“We came a long way. We instilled a new culture at Ryan and I’ll forever cherish that, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”

That next chapter starts in less than two months. Williams will head south to play at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. Although he will be more than a thousand miles away from his family and comfort zone, the FGCU program that Williams is joining features multiple local ties.

Williams’ main recruiter was Kyle Griffin, now an associate head coach to Pat Chambers and previously an assistant at both La Salle and Lehigh. Griffin is from Allentown. Chambers was the head coach at Penn State from 2011 to 2020 and is from Newtown Square.

Through his familiarity with this area, Chambers connected with Williams early and saw his development over the years. Williams announced his commitment to FGCU in May 2023, which allowed him to fully concentrate on his final season at Ryan.

“The [FGCU] coaches instilled that they believe in me, they trust in me with the vision of what I can bring to the program, and that bought my trust in them,” Williams said.

“Almost all of the coaches are Philly-based. They’ve been around places and people I’ve been around for a large portion of my life. They showed great professionalism on their end where I know I can trust them,” Williams said.

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Ninth-year Ryan coach Joe Zeglinski said Williams’ on-court maturity and his four-year evolution into an unheralded leader is what he’ll be remembered for most. He labeled Williams and classmate Thomas Sorber, who is heading to Georgetown, as two of the “top players” in program history.

“Darren put in the work every year and became a great leader. It wasn’t nearly an intangible when he first showed up at Ryan, but he just kept growing and he made everyone else better,” Zeglinski said.

“He took our program to the next level. His communication ability, he pushed our guys — I saw it early on. He was super talented, had a knack for scoring the ball and a knack for making big plays.

“Even when he had sparse minutes as a freshman, he always seemed to make a big play when he was in there. That showed throughout his four years.

“He would just come alive in the fourth quarter — in the second half when his team needed him the most. He was always willing to take the shot or make that defensive stop. He did whatever it took to will our team to win throughout his high school career,” Zeglinski said.

Williams said the biggest factor in his evolution was being consistent at every practice and shooting session.

“Getting us up for games in the weeks of practices, making sure everybody had the same attitude and approach no matter who we were facing,” Williams said of his leadership style. “We came a long way. We instilled that culture and followed coach’s direction.”

As he and Sorber prepare to go their separate ways, Williams is confident that their bond will never fade. Even during times of conflict throughout their seasons, Williams said the relationship he had with Sorber was “inseparable.”

While Williams enjoyed controlling the pace and hitting the big shots, Sorber, a 6-9 center, often dominated the paint with his aggressiveness. Sorber averaged 18.9 points and 11.2 rebounds.

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“When things weren’t going our way, when we had problems, we could always figure it out because of our relationship,” Williams said of Sorber. “We never yelled at each other in a discouraging way, it was always constructive. It’s really a brotherhood.”

Williams said that even after Ryan’s narrow loss to Imhotep Charter in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal he has been in the gym daily with Sorber to prepare for collegiate competition.

Zeglinski said the door will always be open for Williams to visit Ryan’s gym.

“I’m definitely feeling the urge to make sure I have the proper preparation, because this is not high school anymore,” Williams said. “I’m about to play with grown men and better players, so I’ve got to prepare my body for the demands and schedule.

“I’m excited for it. I’m ready to jump into it. And I know Ryan put me in this position — I’ll never forget that.”