Deonta Williams is hungry for a state basketball championship.

Currently in his final year at the prep level, Williams hopes to see his hard work come to fruition in the form of a title.

However, the Southside High School senior power forward’s yearning for a title may be surpassed by his love of food.

“My mom and sister tell me I eat a lot,” Williams said. “I eat a lot at school and on weekends.”

In fact, Williams can usually be found after school and on weekends at McDonald’s, where he regularly feasts on a multitude of items including 10-piece chicken nuggets, hamburgers, french fries and apple pies.

At home, Williams enjoys his favorite meal of macaroni and cheese, greens, sweet potato pie and peach cobbler.

His wolfing down on such treats as these may seem a bit strange for an athlete trying to stay in top physical shape. But, Williams said, there is a reason for his feasting.

“I really want to get to 205 pounds,” he said. “But I really want to get muscles, not fat.”

That weight may not seem too lofty of a goal for a high school athlete, but considering he stands six feet, four inches tall and weighs a slim 175 pounds, Williams has quite a ways to go.

As a two-sports star at Southside – he also played defensive end for the Panthers – Williams constantly tries to balance his weight gain with a nutritional plan that will help him keep his speed, strength and stamina.

Along with Williams’ quest to gain weight is his ambition to earn either a college basketball or football scholarship.

“I would like to go to Georgia Tech,” said Williams, who added he would major in auto mechanics with hopes of one day owning his own auto repair shop.

“My chances of making the NBA,” he said, “are pretty slim because of my height. I’d have to at least be 6-6 or 6-7 to be a small forward or shooting guard.”

Another reason Williams would attend Georgia Tech would his cousin, Clyde Williams, a computer science major at the Atlanta-based university.

Williams said he models his game after Cleveland Cavaliers young star LeBron James – except for just one small detail.

“I like the way he dunks, how high he gets,” Williams said. “I can’t do that.

“One of my main goals,” Williams added, “is to get my head over the goal when I dunk. I’m about halfway there now.”

His senior season halfway over, Williams and the Panthers are nearing their goal of a state championship. Southside currently is 13-0 and the state’s top-ranked Class 4A boys’ team.

Williams doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.

“I don’t think anyone in the state of Alabama can beat us,” he said, “as long as we continue playing as a team.”