Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Williams Ready to Lead Cardinals for Senior Season
April 29, 2020 | Men's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville men's basketball forward/center Malik Williams is seeking to improve his leadership for the Cardinals, as he discussed when he spoke with media representatives via a teleconference on Wednesday.
"I have to show consistency for our younger guys," said Williams about preparing for next season while speaking from his home in Ft. Wayne, Ind. "It starts with that and taking a 'no plays off' mentality. I need to be someone that they can look up to as a leader, do all of the right things and be someone who they can follow."
The runner-up in the 2019-20 ACC Sixth Man of the Year voting, Williams scored in double figures on 10 occasions as junior and 23 times for his career. The 6-11, 245-pound forward/center was 19th in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 6.1 per game, and averaged 8.5 points.
During this time of social distancing, Williams has stayed in contact with his coaches and teammates through video conference calls, including a pair of experienced incoming graduate transfer in Carlik Jones, a three-year starter at Radford University who earned All-America honors as a redshirt junior; and Charles Minlend, Jr., a three-year starter at the University of San Francisco who scored 1,271 career points there.
"I feel like they're ready to go," said Williams of the transfers. "It's tough right now just talking in Zoom meetings and talking to them on the side. You can tell they're ready to get here, get to work and they're coming here for a reason. They're coming here to win something.
"And I'm looking forward all six of our freshman (from this year) stepping up. The way they all progressed over the last year and watched things unfold, I feel they're ready for the challenge. I think we will be ready to hold each other accountable and be full of everybody that leads each other."
A team captain for the Cardinals, Williams scored nine or more points in 15 of his last 22 games as a junior in 2019-20 in helping UofL achieve a 24-7 record and tie for second in the ACC regular season standings. He pulled down five or more rebounds in 16 of his last 22 games, including a season-high matching 13 rebounds with 14 points against Syracuse on Feb. 19 for his fifth career double-double.
Williams was asked if he considered testing his stock in the NBA Draft following the season.
"I definitely gave it a thought," said Williams. "Being a junior now and older, you look forward to taking that next step. After the season, the way things are now (with the pandemic) and teams not working players out, I just thought it would be better for me to finish my last year with the chance for me to get a degree. For the past three years seeing Senior Night makes me want to have one more and more. That, and a lot of other factors, drew me back to not testing the waters and coming back to school."
Williams and his teammates did not have an opportunity to compete in the postseason this year, as both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to health concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cardinals (24-7, 15-5 ACC) finished the season positioned eighth in the nation in the NCAA's NET rankings (No. 14 AP, No. 13 USA Today). It was the best overall record through 31 games for a Louisville team in six years and marked the most conference victories for the Cardinals in their six years in the ACC.
Louisville final notes are available here and a virtual season review, which includes a highlight video from the Cardinals' successful year, is available here.
"I have to show consistency for our younger guys," said Williams about preparing for next season while speaking from his home in Ft. Wayne, Ind. "It starts with that and taking a 'no plays off' mentality. I need to be someone that they can look up to as a leader, do all of the right things and be someone who they can follow."
The runner-up in the 2019-20 ACC Sixth Man of the Year voting, Williams scored in double figures on 10 occasions as junior and 23 times for his career. The 6-11, 245-pound forward/center was 19th in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 6.1 per game, and averaged 8.5 points.
During this time of social distancing, Williams has stayed in contact with his coaches and teammates through video conference calls, including a pair of experienced incoming graduate transfer in Carlik Jones, a three-year starter at Radford University who earned All-America honors as a redshirt junior; and Charles Minlend, Jr., a three-year starter at the University of San Francisco who scored 1,271 career points there.
"I feel like they're ready to go," said Williams of the transfers. "It's tough right now just talking in Zoom meetings and talking to them on the side. You can tell they're ready to get here, get to work and they're coming here for a reason. They're coming here to win something.
"And I'm looking forward all six of our freshman (from this year) stepping up. The way they all progressed over the last year and watched things unfold, I feel they're ready for the challenge. I think we will be ready to hold each other accountable and be full of everybody that leads each other."
A team captain for the Cardinals, Williams scored nine or more points in 15 of his last 22 games as a junior in 2019-20 in helping UofL achieve a 24-7 record and tie for second in the ACC regular season standings. He pulled down five or more rebounds in 16 of his last 22 games, including a season-high matching 13 rebounds with 14 points against Syracuse on Feb. 19 for his fifth career double-double.
Williams was asked if he considered testing his stock in the NBA Draft following the season.
"I definitely gave it a thought," said Williams. "Being a junior now and older, you look forward to taking that next step. After the season, the way things are now (with the pandemic) and teams not working players out, I just thought it would be better for me to finish my last year with the chance for me to get a degree. For the past three years seeing Senior Night makes me want to have one more and more. That, and a lot of other factors, drew me back to not testing the waters and coming back to school."
Williams and his teammates did not have an opportunity to compete in the postseason this year, as both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to health concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cardinals (24-7, 15-5 ACC) finished the season positioned eighth in the nation in the NCAA's NET rankings (No. 14 AP, No. 13 USA Today). It was the best overall record through 31 games for a Louisville team in six years and marked the most conference victories for the Cardinals in their six years in the ACC.
Louisville final notes are available here and a virtual season review, which includes a highlight video from the Cardinals' successful year, is available here.
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