| Kendall Williams | |
|---|---|
| College | University of New Mexico |
| Conference | Mountain West |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Shooting guard, Point guard |
| Jersey # | 10 |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 3, 1991 Rancho Cucamonga, California |
| High school | Los Osos High School |
Kendall Williams (born July 3, 1991) is an American college basketball player for the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. Born in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Williams was the starting shooting guard for the Lobos during his freshman season, garnering attention for his high-level of play and freshman success. With the departure of four-year starting point guard Dairese Gary, Williams is predicted to have a more prominent role during his sophomore year[1], most likely as the starting point guard[2].
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Williams attended Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, as a three-year starter while being a first team all-state and two-time all-CIF selection for the Grizzlies[3]. During his senior year at Los Osos, Williams averaged 22.4 points per game, 4.8 assists per game and 2.9 steals per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game[4] including 40 points in a 73-75 loss against Upland High School when he was 14 of 26 from the floor and 11 of 13 from the line[3]. Williams was also a scrappy rebounder, posting double-digit boards ten times, including 13 in a game against Vista Murrieta and another contest versus Arcadia. He also was a prolific pick-pocketer, nabbing four or more steals ten times[3]. Williams was a spectacular student at Los Osos, maintaining a 3.7 cumulative GPA for his high school career.
While still a tenth grader at Los Osos HS, Williams verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles to play in 2010[5]. While there was some skepticism concerning Williams early decision to attend UCLA, The Los Angeles Times reported that "[t]hose close to Williams say they are confident that his commitment will work out for both" Williams and UCLA[6]. Still, within two years of committing to UCLA, Williams de-committed, as he "indicated that he felt UCLA wasn't a good fit anymore"[7].
After decommitting from UCLA in June 2009, Williams quickly found a home in New Mexico[8] in March 2010, and blossomed into a reliable player for Steve Alford's Lobos squad. Williams scored a career-high 20 points in a December 17, 2010 91-54 decision against Longwood University and posted a double-double against Colorado on December 22, putting up 18 points and 11 assists in a 89-76 win. Williams also jockeyed for scoring leader for the Lobos, and consistently dished out the second most assists on the team (behind Dairese Gary). In addition, Williams both maintained one of the top six assist-to-turnover ratios (2.15 assists to turnovers) in the Mountain West Conference, and led the conference in three-point shooting percentage, both incredible feats for a true freshman. On March 7, 2011, Williams was selected as the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 10.1 points per game and 3.7 assists per game.[9] In his first collegiate postseason game, Williams led the Lobos in scoring with a 16-point performance against Colorado State in a 67-61 victory.
| Games Played | Games Started | Minutes/Game | Points/Game | Rebounds/Game | Assists/Game | Ast/TO Ratio | Field Goal Percentage | 3pt. Field Goal Percentage | Free Throw Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 34 | 30.5 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.99 | 45.7% | 42.6% | 71.8% |
Prior to the start of the 2011-2012 college basketball season, Williams was ranked the tenth best mid-major point guard in the nation[10] and the seventeenth best point guard overall in the nation.[11]. Williams was also noted to be one of the forty breakthrough players for the 2011-12 season by Bleacher Report[2], and one of twenty breakout players by Ballin' is a Habit.[12] He was also picked as a Wooden Award preseason watch list snub[13], and substantiated that argument by being selected to the 2011-12 Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team[14][15]. During the middle of non-conference play, Williams was named one of 65 candidates for the Bob Cousy Award, which recognizes the nation's best point guard[16].
Despite not having the same prolific start as during his freshman year[17], Williams duplicated a number of his freshman stats, including points, assists, and minutes. Nonetheless, Williams recorded double-digits points in six of the first ten non-conference games, including a season-high 19 in a 76-60 victory over Missouri St., and 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a 76-71 win at Arizona St.
| Games Played | Games Started | Minutes/Game | Points/Game | Rebounds/Game | Assists/Game | Ast/TO Ratio | Field Goal Percentage | 3pt. Field Goal Percentage | Free Throw Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 12 | 29.4 | 11.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 1.43 | 34.3% | 23.7% | 74.7% |
ESPN called Williams "a multifaceted, offensive player" in their January 2010 scouting report[18], noting his long-range skills (shooting over 45% from beyond the arc) and lane-driving capabilities. ESPN lauded Williams's "ability to handle physical play when finishing in the lane" and was called a "high major prospect" by Scouthoops.com[19]. His defense is characterized as tenacious and has been called by UNM Head Coach Steve Alford one of the fastest players he has ever coached.