It was a matter of priorities, said Ahmid Williams, when he explained why he walked away from football, a sport in which he excels, to concentrate solely on the game he plays even better, basketball.

“The honest truth is if I’m going to get an opportunity to play basketball in college,” said the junior point guard for Monroe Township High School, “I need to spend as much time as I can strengthening my game. Plus, this summer, we [the Falcons] play in leagues and tournaments, testing ourselves against the best competition we can find. I only have so much time. It wouldn’t be fair to the guys on the football team if I couldn’t make the same commitment.”

As a result, Williams’ mindset has cranked into overdrive as he prepares for what he hopes is a breakout season as one of the leaders for a Monroe Township basketball team expected to inflict serious pain on opponents in the Greater Middlesex Conference this winter. This expectation comes after the Falcons finished with a 23-5 record, including a first-ever appearance in the GMC tournament championship game.

However, Williams believes his team is destined for achieving greater things. He bases his belief on what he and his teammates have accomplished this summer.

“We’ve developed a chemistry that makes us believe we can beat anybody we play,” he said. “We’ve even surprised ourselves with how well we mesh together. Coach [Bob Turco] has worked us real hard, but we’re seeing how that can pay off.”

Williams, even though a junior, will be an integral part of that payoff. As a freshman and junior, his natural talent allowed him to see frequent playing time, starting 40 games. His average for both seasons was 5.1 points a game. But the statistic that jumps out the most is his assist-to-turnover ratio, which is 3-1. That speaks of several things, not the least of which is Williams’ ability to handle the basketball, or, as he says, “pamper it.”

“I don’t model myself after any particular player,” he said, “but I do know that we are most effective when we ‘push’ the ball up the court. That’s always my mindset when I’m handling the basketball.”

Turco believes Williams is the right individual for the job.

“Ahmid’s playing time the last two years has enabled him to gain experience a junior might not have at this stage of his career,” he said. “He’s now ready to take over ‘his’ team. We expect a lot from Ahmid, but I believe he can deliver.”

What Williams hopes to deliver this winter is more in the scoring department.

“I understood my role as point guard was to execute our transition offense my first two years,” he said. “But now I want to contribute more points.”

To that end, Williams has spent countless hours stroking the ball, as he describes it, from beyond the three-point arc. Based on summer ball, it looks like the junior will increase his points-per-game average.

“I believe Ahmid has the ability to become the best point guard in the conference,” said Turco. “He has improved his all-around play and, just as important, has demonstrated he can become a leader. That’s a key for somebody running the offense, and Ahmid has a grasp of what he means to the team.”

The people who mean a lot to him, he says, are his parents, Stan and Dana, who originally come from Plainfield. He also has a special place in his heart for his uncle Rodney, who has been his biggest fan, whether it’s watching him play football or basketball.

“Uncle Rodney played semiprofessional football,” Williams said, “but he’s turning into a basketball fan now.”

While Ahmid’s grades include a few Cs mixed in with As and Bs, he maintains that improving his academic performance is another reason he opted out of football.

“Hitting the books is just as important to me and my family as my commitment to basketball,” he said. “What good is it if you can execute Xs and Os if you don’t know your ABCs.”

Fortunately, playing basketball is as simple as spelling ABC for Williams.