Pat Williams thought his basketball career was over.

But then one day, his varsity boys basketball coach Lance Baylis gave him a call on the phone.

“He called me up to see if I wanted to play at Jackson Community College, and I said sure,” the Holly graduate said. “I went to open gym a couple of times and then they wanted me to play for them. That was it.”

Well, maybe there was a bit more to it than that. Through his determination and work ethic, Williams made it impossible for the JCC coaching staff not to offer him a scholarship to play with the program.

“He really impressed the coach,” Baylis said. “A lot of community coaches do open gyms, and, prior to Pat going down there I knew a lot of players were not returning, so I gave a call to Pat to give him a heads up.

“From there Pat earned himself a scholarship through his tenacity and perseverance, and I couldn’t be any happier for him.”

Simply stated, Williams made his break. While Williams was a member of Holly’s co-Metro League championship boys basketball team this winter, he wasn’t one of the household names. But when given a shot during the open gyms, he seized that opportunity. Williams went to every session he could and raised the eyebrows of the coaching staff.

“Kids that lived 10 minutes away didn’t come every day, and I went there (living) an hour-and-a-half (away),” Williams said.

JCC is a young program, just returning to action two years ago. Last year the program had a respectable second season, posting a 12-15 mark.

“They are just building the program and are getting better,” Williams said. “This is a great opportunity, and the coach is really nice. And it’s a whole new environment.”

“He made his break,” Baylis said. “I know the JCC coach and he is a dynamic coach and a good person. He knew he had to go down there and prove himself and earn it and he did.”

Williams expects to play at guard.

“I am working on everything I can — my shooting, handling and keeping playing solid and hard defense,” Williams said. “I am going to work hard.”

It sounds like he already has.