Mikey Williams gets real about growing up under the spotlight: "You can't make mistakes"

Former high-school phenom Mikey Williams has committed to Sacramento State after leaving the UCF Knights and joining the NCAA transfer portal. The young guard is all set to turn up for the Hornets next season.

Williams will play under the tutelage of coach Mike Bibby and general manager Shaquille O'Neal. Fans are excited to see the 6-foot-3 guard unleash himself at his new program.

He appeared on the "Overtime" podcast on Saturday and spoke on a lot of matters, including how he has adjusted to living under the spotlight since his high school days.

"I feel like two other people see it differently than I see it, because I'm living it, and I really gotta deal with everything that comes with it," Mikey Williams began (22:30). "And just, it's like, at one point when I was younger, it was overwhelming, because I wasn't used to, I wasn't used to none of that. Like, I'm kind of, I'm really quiet.

"I don't talk too much, like my friend group small, whatever. So just growing as a person, having to talk to people, be around a lot of people, like, just, I'm always, always being watched and stuff. It kind of, it's kind of like, you can't, you can't make mistakes, you know, or you if you do, like, it's like you're getting judged way differently." (22:43).

The young guard feels that despite all the hype and eyeballs on him while growing up, he did well to not get stuck in all of that and worked on himself.

"I feel the one thing I did a great job with, though, is not getting stuck in a hype like I could. I feel I talk about this on my friends all the time. If another, if another person were in my shoes, they'll, be very quick to take advantage of everything," he continued. (23:25)

"Like, it's a lot of things, I still could have taken advantage of, but it's just, night, that's not me, you know, I'm just, my only goal, still, just to go to the NBA. Like a main goal, that's my only thing I want to do, is as a child," Williams added.

Williams was a massive prospect during his high school days. His gameplay and mixtape videos of him dunking went viral, and he received nationwide praise. So much so that even LeBron James heaped praise on the youngster.

The guard has seen a lot of ups and downs in his short career, but his aim continues to be to play in the NBA one day. He will look to reignite his collegiate career at Sacramento State.

---

Mikey Williams speaks about HC Mike Bibby's impact on the Hornets

Apart from Mikey Williams, former Arizona State forward Brandon Gardner and Shaquille O'Neal's son, Saqir, have also joined the Sacramento State Hornets for the upcoming season.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 01 UCF at TCU - Source: Getty

The former UCF guard feels that these players decided to make the move because of the influence of Bibby.

"I think the main part is Coach Bibby, honestly, you feel me," Williams said (8:20). "So that's the head of the snake, that's like, that's your culture, right there. So I think everybody respects him."

Williams spent one season at Orlando before moving to Sacramento, where he didn't get much gametime as he could only average 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds from 14 minutes per game. However, he hopes to change his career with this move to the Hornets.