VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Many know her as Zaniyah Williams, but on the court she goes by a different name.
"Z the Problem," Williams said of her basketball mantra. "That's what everybody calls me."
The moniker has a meaning to the Catholic sophomore, a name she earned well before she arrived at the school.
"It has a dog meaning behind it, like I'm a dog on the court," she explained. "I give it all I've got. I'm a problem. You can't guard me."
"She lives up to it," added Catholic head coach Billy Stokes. "She can be a problem on both the offensive and defensive end of the court. It fits her."
With that energy, however, comes expectations. The Crusaders' guard puts in the work to make sure she can live up to the hype.
"She works very hard," Stokes pointed out. "She's very smart, she sees the game differently, she's growing every day."
"My mindset was 'I've got to make it,'" Williams said. "There's no going back. This is what I want to do and this is what I'm going to put my effort into and I'm going to make it."
Williams is the Crusaders' leading scorer and has put together an impressive stretch. The last three times out have seen the sophomore guard score 31, 16 and 27 points, respectively. More important than her own statistics or achievements, however, are the players on the floor beside her.
"We feed off each other's energy, no problems, just going out there and having fun and playing basketball, hyping each other up," she said. "My teammates, they're a big part of me."
"She understands it's not always about points," added Stokes. "It's about team, it's about winning and she's embracing that and it's just made her so much of a better player."
They're noticing Zaniyah's game at the next level. Her list of college offers currently stands at 26, mostly from Power Five Division I programs. She'll have options when the time comes, but right now she's focused on winning championships with her Catholic teammates.
"I want to make my teammates better," she said. "As I get better, I want us to grow as a team. I want us to win states, get a ring with them, celebrate it with them."
"That is everyone's goal going in, to be successful, to win the TCIS and then maybe go onto states and then go from there," Stokes added. "I think we have a really good shot and she gives us a great shot at that."
If you have a nominee for Student-Athlete of the Week, just send an email to marc.davis@wtkr.com.
