Honoring the legacy of Doug Williams through basketball, youth sports, and community

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Good Friday marked the Kickoff to a Basketball Tournament in honor of the late Doug Williams, a teenager who passed away due to gun violence.

Doug Williams was killed on Easter Sunday, April 15th, in 1990. Since the date, sister Cheryl Williams has hosted basketball camps, tournaments, and festivities to keep her brother’s legacy alive.

“They’re all enthusiastic like they’re really in the NBA playing, and that’s really good, they’re really passionate about the game, which I’m so happy that they’re here and spending their Good Friday with us,” said Cheryl Williams, sister to Doug Williams, and director for

the Doug Williams Scholarship Foundation.

Young athletes came from the community, including the teams “Sunset Elite” and “DDYA” (Developing Driven Young Athletes).

Cheryl Williams says her brother was the captain of his Fair Park High School basketball team and would be proud to see the positivity in the community.

“Even if it’s not basketball, football, soccer, you know, hockey, whatever they play, swimming, we just want to know that it’s a sport and everybody plays together on a team. And that’s what he was, he was really a team player,” said Cheryl Williams.

John Dent, a senior at Captain Shreve High School, joined the basketball camp three years ago just to try something new.

“The first time you know everybody is nervous and things, but once you come to it, it’s actually a good thing, you know, helping the community and whatnot, so it’s pretty fun, trying to get everybody out here,” said Dent.

During the basketball game, Jerome Morgan and Sirclifford Smith were two volunteer coaches. The two said this is their first time partnering with the Douglas Williams Scholarship Foundation.

“His legacy is big for us. For sure I’m from Fair Park, I’m an alumni of Fair Park, so I know all about Doug. I’ve seen video of him, I’ve seen him play as well, so I already knew he was a good young man, as well just like I’m trying to be to my kids, he was doing the same for the neighborhood, so it was a good cause to come and represent,” said Smith.

Smith runs the DDYA program, and his athletes will be traveling to a tournament in Tyler, Texas, the weekend of April 25th.

“Just giving the kids more exposure, and letting them see it’s better talent out there, and you always have to continue to work to be better than the next player,” said Smith.

Morgan also has a program with opportunities to train young athletes to have a better game or just have fun.

He echoes the sentiments of Smith, supporting the positive impacts that stem from the annual fundraisers in honor of Doug Williams.

“Stop the violence, I see a lot of it still going on to this day. Just want to get the kids together and let them have fun and realize there’s more to life than being on the streets and whatever else they can be getting into. They’re doing something positive,” said Morgan

The basketball tournament, as well as a basketball camp, will be hosted on April 19th. On Easter Sunday, Williams says they are playing the festivities by ear due to the weather.