Kendall Williams

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/williams_kendall00.html |title=Player Bio: Kendall Williams – NEW MEXICO OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE |publisher=Golobos.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107015616/http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/williams_kendall00.html |archivedate=2010-11-07 }} 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[http://www.maxpreps.com/athletes/-KPaunij00Se13k2rhmFhQ/basketball-winter-09-10/profile-kendall-williams.htm Kendall Williams Basketball Profile] MaxPreps.com including 40 points in a [http://www.maxpreps.com/contests/zYBf3aPmKEK4lqwek0rMzw/basketball-winter-09-10/boxscore-los-osos-rancho-cucamonga-vs-upland-upland.htm 73–75 loss] against Upland High School when he was 14-of-26 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the line. Williams was also a scrappy rebounder, posting double-digit boards ten times, including 13 in a [http://www.maxpreps.com/contests/PhgNG6EYDES4a0VuZ9zqKQ/basketball-winter-09-10/boxscore-los-osos-rancho-cucamonga-vs-vista-murrieta-murrieta.htm game] against Vista Murrieta and another [http://www.maxpreps.com/contests/OIydQ-Vhc0m4-9IN9F9Rpg/basketball-winter-09-10/boxscore-arcadia-arcadia-vs-los-osos-rancho-cucamonga.htm contest] versus Arcadia. He also was a prolific pick-pocketer, nabbing four or more steals ten times. 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.[http://www.bruinbasketballreport.com/2007/11/bruins-get-verb.html "Bruins Receive Verbal Commit From HS Sophomore"] Bruin Basketball Report, November 27, 2007 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.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jul-26-sp-vegas26-story.html "Early decisions can have fallout"] Los Angeles Times, July 26, 2008 However, after UCLA pulled his scholarship in late July 2009 because of concerns of coach Ben Howland over Williams's on court behavior while Howland was in attendance.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130327065555/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-college-basketball-mens-tournament/news/20130325/ucla-ben-howland/ "The moment things started to unravel for Ben Howland at UCLA"] SI.com, March 26, 2013[https://archive.today/20120711022546/http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/news/_/id/52721/kendall-williams "PG Kendall Williams, UCLA part ways"] ESPN.com, July 29, 2009

{{main|2010–11 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team}}

After decommitting from UCLA in June 2009, Williams quickly found a home in New Mexico[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/varsitytimesinsider/2010/03/boys-basketball-kendall-williams-picks-new-mexico.html "Boys' basketball: Kendall Williams picks New Mexico"] Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2010 in March 2010, and blossomed into a reliable player for Steve Alford's Lobos squad. Williams scored a career-high 20 points in a [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=303510167 91–54 decision] against Longwood University and posted his first collegiate double-double against Colorado, putting up 18 points and 11 assists in a [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=303560167 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.[http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030711aaf.html Mountain West Conference Announces 2010–11 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226055048/http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030711aaf.html |date=2011-12-26 }} TheMWC.com, March 7, 2011 In his first collegiate postseason game, Williams led the Lobos in scoring with a 16-point performance against Colorado State in a [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=310690036 67–61 victory].

{{main|2011–12 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team}}

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 college basketball season, Williams was ranked the tenth best mid-major point guard in the nation[http://bleacherreport.com/articles/739400-college-basketball-2011-12-top-30-mid-major-players-at-each-position/page/2 "College Basketball 2011–12: Top 30 Mid-Major Players at Each Position"] Bleacher Report, June 22, 2011 and the seventeenth best point guard overall in the nation.[http://www.ballinisahabit.net/2011/11/2011-2012-season-preview-top-25-point.html "2011–2012 Season Preview: Top 25 Point Guards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102135445/http://www.ballinisahabit.net/2011/11/2011-2012-season-preview-top-25-point.html |date=2011-11-02 }} Ballin' is a Habit, November 1, 2011 Williams was also noted to be one of twenty breakout players by Ballin' is a Habit.[http://www.ballinisahabit.net/2011/10/2011-2012-season-preview-breakout.html "2011–2012 Season Preview: Breakout Players"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101084327/http://www.ballinisahabit.net/2011/10/2011-2012-season-preview-breakout.html |date=2011-11-01 }} Ballin' is a Habit, October 31, 2011 He was also picked as a Wooden Award preseason watch list snub,[https://archive.today/20120710033749/http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7054024 "Players who might end up on Wooden list"] ESPN.com, October 3, 2011 and substantiated that argument by being selected to the 2011–12 Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team.{{cite web |url=http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101211aaa.html |title=Mountain West Conference Announces 2011–12 Preseason Men's Basketball Selections |publisher=The Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site |date=October 12, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402050345/http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101211aaa.html |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/2011/10/13/the-skys-the-limit.html |title=The Sky's The Limit |author=Mark Smith |publisher=The Albuquerque Journal |date=October 13, 2011}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.cousyaward.com/docs/2012_Cousy_Award.pdf |title=Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Bob Cousy Award Candidates |publisher=e Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |date=December 19, 2011 |access-date=December 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330104008/http://www.cousyaward.com/docs/2012_Cousy_Award.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

Despite not having the same prolific start as during his freshman year,{{cite web|url=http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/2011/12/02/williams-stays-confident.html |title=Williams Stays Confident |author=Mark Smith |publisher=The Albuquerque Journal |date=December 2, 2011}} Williams improved upon a number of his freshman stats during his second year, including points, assists, and rebounds. Williams recorded double-digit points in 18 of the Lobos' regular-season contests, including a season-high of 21 points in wins against [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=320070167 North Dakota] and at [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=320460021 then-No. 15 San Diego State]. Another notable regular-season performance included 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=313220009 76–71 win at Arizona State]. In the postseason, Williams continued to contribute as he scored 12.2 points per game and dished out 4.4 assists per game during the MW tournament and NCAA tournament. In the MW Championship game vs. San Diego State, a [https://archive.today/20130411010003/http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320700021 68–59 Lobo victory], Williams tallied 14 points and six assists. In New Mexico's [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=320750167 opening-round win] versus Long Beach State in the NCAA Tournament, Williams upped his output, scoring 16 points, including a three-pointer that gave New Mexico the lead for good with under five minutes to go.

To cap off his strong sophomore campaign, Williams was named Second Team All-Mountain West[http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030512aad.html Mountain West Announces 2011–12 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401225322/http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030512aad.html |date=2013-04-01 }} TheMWC.com, March 5, 2012 and First Team All-District 17 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.[http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031412aaf.html Gordon, Williams Named NABC First Team All-District 17 ] GoLobos.com, March 14, 2012

{{main|2012–13 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team}}

Bolstered by his strong showing his sophomore year, Williams opened the 2012–13 season with a handful of preseason accolades. Williams was chosen to the Preseason All-Mountain West team for the Lobos, both by the Mountain West[http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102212aaa.html Mountain West Announces 2012–13 Preseason Men's Basketball Selections] TheMWC.com, October 22, 2012 and by College Sports Madness.[http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/5038 Madness 2012–2013 Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Teams] College Sports Madness, October 17, 2012 Williams also highlighted CollegeBasketballTalk's top 15 backcourts of 2012–13 season, which checked in at No. 12 as a group.[http://m.nbcsports.com/content/cbts-top-15-backcourts-2012-13-season CBT's top 15 backcourts of 2012–13 season] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101182806/http://m.nbcsports.com/content/cbts-top-15-backcourts-2012-13-season |date=2013-11-01 }} CollegeBasketballTalk, October 24, 2012

Williams started his third year with five-straight games scoring in double figures, including a then-career high total of 23 points in a [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=323210167 victory over Illinois–Chicago] at the Paradise Jam. Also at the Paradise Jam, Williams showcased some late heroics versus George Mason, where he sank a three-point basket from 33 feet with 11.9 seconds to bring New Mexico to within two points and then stole the ensuing inbounds pass that eventually led to Tony Snell's game-winning three with 1.8 seconds remaining. Williams was selected as the MVP of the Paradise Jam Tournament[http://www.paradisejam.com/mens-tournament-info/mens-tournament-history-and-statistics/#2010 Men’s Tournament History and Statistics] Basketball Travelers, Inc. after averaging 17.3 points over the three contests. Williams bettered his career high in points twice more during the non-conference portion of the Lobos' schedule, as he scored 24 points in wins at [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=323360282 Indiana State] and [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=323540166 New Mexico State]. During a December contest [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=323570167 versus South Dakota State], Williams became the 30th player in program history to score 1,000 career points after chipping in 21. He closed out non-conference play scoring in double figures all but three times, and was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame final watch list for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award right as conference season started.[http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011013aab.html Williams Named Cousy Watch List Finalist] GoLobos.com, January 10, 2013 Through the first 11 games of MW play, Williams maintained a relatively low profile, scoring more than 12 points just twice. He did post an 11-point, 7-assist and 6-rebound performance [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=330370167 versus Air Force], but statistically speaking, Williams's opening of conference play saw him average 10.5 points per game and shoot 36 percent from the floor and 28 percent from beyond the arc, all below his career marks.

Despite Williams's uncharacteristic output to start conference play, all was forgotten when he scored 46 points [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=330540036 versus No. 22 Colorado State] on Feb. 23, 2013. Williams accounted for more than half of the Lobos' 91 points, and shot 12-of-16 from the floor, 10-of-13 from beyond the arc and converted 12-of-17 free throws. He also added five rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes, which made his point-per-minute average 1.4. His 10 three-pointers were a New Mexico and Mountain West record, and his 46 points tied for the third-highest scoring total in school history and fifth-best in conference history. He also set the school record in most points scored in a road game, and broke the Moby Arena scoring record of 44 points set by Portland State's Freeman Williams on Nov. 29, 1975.[https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=330540036 Kendall Williams hits 10 3s, scores 46 points in New Mexico's win] Associated Press, February 23, 2013

Williams earned considerable attention for his exploits at Moby Arena (which snapped Colorado State's 27-game home winning streak), including his first Mountain West Player of the Week honor.[http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022513aaa.html Mountain West Names Men's Basketball Player of the Week] TheMWC.con, February 25, 2013 Also among his accolades was earning the Capital One Cup Impact Performance Of the Week[https://web.archive.org/web/20130315074353/http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8997696 Capital One Cup Impact Performance Of the Week] and player of the week honors from ESPN's Dick Vitale,[https://www.espn.com/espn/dickvitale/story/_/id/8983666/dick-vitale-weekly-college-basketball-awards Weekly awards for Feb. 25] Dick Vitale, February 25, 2013 NBCSports' Rob Dauster[http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/25/player-of-the-week-kendall-williams-new-mexico/ Player of the Week: Kendall Williams, New Mexico] Rob Dauster, February 25, 2013 and a handful of other media outlets like CBS Sports and FOX.[http://www.golobos.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031213aao.html Lobos Pick Up USBWA District Honors] GoLobos.com, March 12, 2013 Williams was also added[https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/77544/wooden-watch-kings-poy-ballot-11 Wooden Watch: Jason King's POY ballot] Jason King, February 28, 2013 to Jason King's Wooden Award watchlist on ESPN after his performance.

After his showing at Colorado State (which bumped in season scoring average from 13.1 points to 14.4), Williams closed out the regular season in the same fashion in which he started, tallying double figures in his last two games. In a close loss [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=330682005 at Air Force], he recorded his second career double-double, scoring 21 points and dishing out 10 assists.

Due most in part to his 46-point game, Williams was accorded the honor of Mountain West Player of the Year, as well as a berth on the conference's First Team.[http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031113aah.html Mountain West Announces 2012–13 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622084414/http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031113aah.html |date=2013-06-22 }} TheMWC.com, March 11, 2013 It was fourth time a New Mexico player won the conference player of the year award. He was also selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District VIII team,[http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2013/alldistrict130312.html USBWA NAMES 2012–13 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS] U.S. Basketball Writers Association, March 12, 2013 which includes players from all Division I schools in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.

After going undrafted in 2014, he signed with Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Lega Basket Serie A where he averaged 5.6 points per game. On January 29, 2015, he signed with Fileni Jesi of the Serie A2 Basket.[http://www.sportando.com/en/italy/a2-gold/150388/kendall-williams-moves-from-pesaro-to-jesi.html Kendall Williams moves from Pesaro to Jesi]

On September 28, 2016, Williams signed with the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada;[http://lightningbasketball.ca/p/14539/nr/100258/lightning-welcome-kendall-williams Lightning welcome Kendall Williams], London Lightning Official Site, September 28, 2016 however, he left London on October 31 to sign with Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League.{{cite web|url=http://raptors905.dleague.nba.com/news/training-camp-roster-schedule/|title=TRAINING CAMP ROSTER AND SCHEDULE|work=NBA.com|date=October 30, 2016|accessdate=November 2, 2016|archive-date=November 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104011449/http://raptors905.dleague.nba.com/news/training-camp-roster-schedule/|url-status=dead}}

ESPN called Williams "a multifaceted, offensive player" in their January 2010 scouting report,[https://archive.today/20120708152022/http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/52721/kendall-williams Kendall Williams Player Evaluation] ESPN.com, January 2010 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.{{Cite web|url=http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3127004|title = College Basketball and Recruiting News}} 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.

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Kendall-Williams/Summary/22373 RealGM profile]
• [http://www.lnb.fr/fr/Pro-B/300006/Joueurs/A100683/Kendall-Williams LNB Pro B profile]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Kendall}}

Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada

Category:American expatriate basketball people in France

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Category:American men's basketball players

Category:Atléticos de San Germán players

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Category:Chorale Roanne Basket players

Category:New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players

Category:Sportspeople from Upland, California

Category:Pioneros de Los Mochis players

Category:Point guards

Category:Shooting guards

Category:Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players

Category:Los Osos High School alumni

Category:21st-century American sportsmen