DANA WILLIAMS

SPRING VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

CLASS OF 1993

Hall of Fame careers are built on many pillars. For Dana Williams, the main fulcrum was her ability to score and take charge on the basketball court. Spring Valley was fortunate to have the 5-foot-7 point guard orchestrating the hardwood ensemble of Tigers players for four illustrious years.

Dana zipped past the 1,000-point career benchmark during her final varsity season and wound up with 1,328 points, leading Rockland County in scoring during the 1992-93 campaign by averaging 25.5 points per game. She became the first and so far only Spring Valley girls’ basketball player to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Dana ranked 10th on the all-time Rockland scoring chart when she accomplished the feat in 1993, and more than 30 years later still ranks in the top 20 on that elite list.

Going out with a flourish, Dana pumped in 36 points and made 20 of 24 free throws in her final regular-season game, a loss to district rival Ramapo. For the season she also averaged a solid 11 rebounds a game, and her scoring prowess made her “a threat from anywhere” on the court, so noted in the Rockland Journal-News write-up on her first-team All-County selection.

A two-time All-County and three-time All-League selection, Dana earned MVP honors in the 1993 Rockland County Senior Showcase by scoring 20 points, including 18 in the second half, to lead the large-schools Conference A team to a 54-52 triumph over Conference B. She also secured MVP honors in the 1990 Pearl River tournament and all-tourney honors in the Pearl River event three other years.

And for those who like to mix and match, here’s another impressive stat: Dana is the second-leading scorer in Spring Valley basketball history, male or female, topped only by the 1,463 points scored by Rickey McGill, a 2015 graduate.

Reaching Goals, Complete Player, Wise Guidance

Breaking the 1,000-point barrier tops Dana’s list of career highlights as a Spring Valley Tiger. “That was a goal that I set as a freshman and feel elated that I was able to accomplish it,” Dana says, thrilled that her family and friends were on hand to celebrate the milestone. Although scoring was her forte, Dana prided herself on being a well-rounded player who could crash the boards for rebounds, play aggressive defense, distribute the ball effectively as point guard and, most importantly, always be a team player.

Dana’s coach at Spring Valley, Steve Schiffman, instilled confidence that she could attain greatness as a high school player. Another coach who had a profound impact on her basketball career was Willie Worsley, the school’s longtime boys’ coach who taught Dana the fundamentals of basketball in the CYO league when she was a seventh-grader. He even proved to be somewhat of a sage, predicting from the outset that Dana would be a 1,000-point scorer. “Mr. Worsley was the very first coach that had faith in me as a basketball player,” Dana says. “He helped me to build a solid foundation of skills and gain basketball knowledge. He was a phenomenal mentor.”

Track, Cheerleading ‘Adventures’

While basketball was the central pillar in the framework of Dana Williams’ Hall of Fame career, it was not the only one. She also excelled for the girls’ spring track team in the shot put, discus, and on Spring Valley’s high-quality sprint relay units such as the 4×100 meters and 4×200 meters. She garnered team MVP honors and gained honorable mention recognition in the four-county Section 1 region during her senior year.

Dana praised her track coach, Jim Pinkston, for his motivational approach in bringing out the best in her athletic ability. “My track experience was phenomenal as it gave me an opportunity to try another sport and different events,” she says. “It also helped me to expand my athleticism by increasing my speed, agility and versatility.”

Yet another pillar in Dana’s foundation of success was her two-year participation as a girls’ varsity cheerleader for the football team. Coached by Ms. Denora Harris, Dana had the distinction of serving as team captain her senior year. “It was a great experience that helped me to improve my flexibility and mobility along with building leadership skills,” she notes.

Bouncing into Stardom at Bridgeport

After graduating from Spring Valley in 1993, Dana enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, Conn., on a full athletic scholarship. A three-year starter as a shooting guard for the Div. II Purple Knights (coached by Harvey Herer), Dana led the team to a pair of league championships and accompanying berths in the NCAA Div. II national tournament. The team captain her senior year, Dana concluded her college career with 1,398 points and more than 500 rebounds. She made the Bridgeport Invitational all-tournament team for three straight years, and received the university’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 1997. For her consistently high-caliber performance on the court, Dana was inducted into the University of Bridgeport’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Dana received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bridgeport in 1997, a master’s in school psychology from Mercy College in 2001, and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Capella University, an online institution. For the past 23 years she has been employed by Rockland BOCES as a school psychologist working with special education students, specializing in health and wellness therapy for staff and students.

Paying it Forward as Coach and Mentor

Basketball has been a constant thread in Dana’s life. She served as girls’ varsity assistant coach at Spring Valley for three seasons, and last year completed a six-year stint as head coach of the girls’ JV team. “Coaching was a beautifully challenging task that was extremely rewarding by having the ability to give back to my community at East Ramapo and be a role model for the girls,” Dana says. Although no longer an on-court presence at games and practices, she still mentors the team’s players with guidance on meditation techniques, stretching and practicing self-care.

Dana, who is 49, lives in Teaneck, N.J. She receives the loving support of her parents, Rosemary and David Williams, siblings Duane, David, Wendi and Makayla, many nieces and nephews, as well as her cousin Linda, best friend Sabrina, “and all my wonderful friends and family who are very dear to my heart!”

Dana was elected to the Spring Valley High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. Now she adds the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame to her collection of honors.

Well done, Dr. Dana Williams!