By Bob Sims

It has been a long time coming for Aminah Williams and the Washington women's basketball program.
Washington has made the NCAA tournament, the Big Dance, at last. After an eight-year wait.

The Huskies team gathered at Husky Stadium's Touchdown Terrace with family and fans Monday to watch the NCAA "Selection Show," letting out joyous yells when they learned they were picked the No. 6 seed in the Oklahoma City Region in the prestigious 64-team tournament.

"It was an awesome atmosphere, to have family and fans there who have supported us from the start," said Williams by phone Thursday afternoon from her team hotel in Iowa City, Iowa. "My parents (Guy and Monique Williams of West Seattle) were ecstatic. ... It's great to have this feeling as a senior, to be experiencing the NCAAs tomorrow for the first time. I love it."

Washington (24-9) plays No.11 seed Miami (19-12) at 9 a.m. Friday in Iowa City. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on 1150 KKNW AM radio and 1150 kknw.com.

"Miami is a quick team; they're comparative to UCLA in the Pac-12," said Williams, a 6-foot forward. "They're aggressive and don't take plays off. We have to match their intensity from the start. We're going to show everyone we deserve to be here."

If the Huskies win, they will play the winner of the No. 3 Iowa (24-7) vs. No. 14 American (24-8) game in a second-round matchup Sunday. The four-team Iowa City subregional, part of the Oklahoma City Region bracket, is being played on the Iowa Hawkeyes' home court.

It will be a good showcase for Williams, who starred at Kennedy Catholic in Burien, and has had an illustrious career at Washington.

She broke Amber Hall's all-time rebounding record at Washington this season. She now has 1,132.
Williams is also one of four captains for the Huskies, along with senior guard Jazmine Davis, sophomore guard and John Wooden finalist Kelsey Plum (sixth-leading scorer in nation with a 22.8 average) and junior forward Talia Walton of Federal Way.

"I embrace my role (as captain)," Williams said. "I'm not much of a talker, so I try to lead by example by showing fire and energy on the court."

"We've really meshed as a group," she added. "We have great chemistry together."

Williams says reserve 6-foot-3 sophomore center Katie Collier, a Seattle Christian graduate, has improved rapidly as a player this year.

"She has developed into a strong physical presence down low (in the blocks) and is hard to guard," Williams said. "She has really helped this team."

Tonight, Williams said she will relax in her hotel room and "listen to music, talk to her parents, and then get a good night's rest."

In an earlier interview, Williams said her mom and dad have encouraged and supported her since she first started playing organized basketball.

Williams' father, known as Guy "The Fly" Williams when he played for WSU in college and the Washington Bullets and Golden State Warriors as a pro, was her AAU coach when she was a youngster.

"My dad always gives me tips on how to improve my game; he knows the game," she said. "He taught me how be physical and he always tells me to just play my game."

The big stage just got bigger for Aminah Williams.

She's not sweating it. She's got game.