Samford University Athletics

2013 SOCON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
2013 SOCON MEDIA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
2013 ALL-SOCON THIRD TEAM
2013 SOCON ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
2013 SOCON MEDIA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
 
Great athlete . . . outstanding shot-blocker who can also run the floor . . . has some really good range on his jumper . . . very skilled player for his size . . . plays a key role on the front line . . . will play a major factor in the full-court press and is expected to wreak some havoc on the defensive end of the court.

 
Freshman (2012-13): Became the first player in school history to be named the Southern Conference’s Freshman of the Year . . . also received the SoCon Freshman of the Year award from the league’s media . . . earned Third-Team All-SoCon honors . . . named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team by both the coaches and the media . . . earned significant playing time in 30 of the team’s 32 games and averaged 35 minutes per outing . . . led all conference freshmen in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 pg) . . . overall, he finished the season ranked sixth in the league in rebounding and 11th in scoring . . . became the 32^nd player in school history to reach the prestigious 400-point plateau in a single season . . . scored a team-high total of 454 points . . . his points total was the highest mark at Samford since the 2006-07 season when Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Randall Gulina scored 579 . . . scored in double-digits in 30 of the team’s 32 games . . . opened the season with 15-consecutive double-digit scoring performances . . . closed out the campaign with six straight double-digit scoring outings . . . finished the season ranked third in the SoCon in both minutes played (35 pg) and field-goal percentage (54.4) . . . ranked fourth in the league in defensive rebounds (5.3 pg) and sixth in both steals (1.5 pg) and blocked shots (1.1 pg) . . . led the Bulldogs with 228 rebounds for an average of 7.1 per game . . . his team-high rebounds total was the highest mark at Samford since 1999-2000 when former Bulldog-great Marc Salyers finished with 232 . . . also the first person to reach the 400-point, 200-rebound club since Salyers in 1999-2000 . . . Bulldogs’ active leader in rebounds with 228 . . . led Samford in scoring 10 times and in rebounds 21 times . . . named the SoCon Player of the Week on Nov. 20 after he averaged 18 points and six rebounds in road games against No. 2-ranked Louisville and No. 16 Memphis . . . named to the College Hoops Daily Midseason All-SoCon Team . . . led Samford in steals (47) and blocked shots (35) . . . registered six double-doubles and concluded the year ranked second in the SoCon in the category . . . finished the season with a pair of 20-point performances and 30 double-digit scoring games . . . turned in a dominating performance at No. 16-ranked Memphis on Nov. 17, as he scored a game-high 21 points on a 7-of-11 shooting outing from the field . . . finished the season ranked No. 41 in the nation in field-goal percentage with a final mark of 54.4 . . . made a huge impression in his first collegiate game on Nov. 9 at Austin Peay as he exploded for 23 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time . . . he turned in a 10-of-18 performance from the field and added three steals . . . finished the season ranked third in the SoCon with six double-digit rebound games . . . his Samford debut proved to be the best in over 40 years since Laymon Williamson scored 29 points in a historic 74-72 season-opening victory at Oklahoma on Dec. 1, 1971 . . . finished the season with a solid 46.5 percent shooting mark from the field and played a key role in Samford’s No. 3 SoCon ranking in the category . . . earned his first varsity letter.

 
High School: Starred at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Chicago, Ill., where he averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for a talented squad that boasted multiple scoring options . . . also averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.3 assists per contest . . . during his senior season, he shot a sizzling 65 percent from the field en route to leading HFHS to the 4A Regional championship . . . finished the season with 40 blocked shots, 14 of which occurred in the Vikings’ final two playoff games . . . closed out his prep career ranked among the top class of 2012 prospects in the state of Illinois . . . also starred at quarterback and will be remembered as one of the most skilled and productive two-sport athletes in Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s rich history . . . originally committed to play for Head Coach Isiah Thomas at Florida International, but reopened the recruiting process once Thomas was relieved of his duties in the spring.
 
Personal: Born Nov. 6, 1993 . . . parents are Tim and Lisa Williams . . . his cousin, Scott Robinson, played football at Western Michigan University . . . majoring in engineering physics.
 
ONE-ON-ONE WITH WILLIAMS
My most prized possession is: my family
Favorite place to eat: Mugshots
Favorite food: chicken
Favorite movie: Soul Men
Favorite musician: Kanye West