Ja’Leah Williams Transfers to the Cardinals
April 19, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Williams was a three-year player at Miami
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Head coach Jeff Walz has announced the addition of transfer guard Ja'Leah Williams on Friday. She comes to the Cardinals after playing three seasons in the ACC at Miami and will be eligible for her final collegiate season in 2024-25.
"We are thrilled to add guard Ja'Leah Williams to our roster," said Walz. "Ja'Leah is a 3-year starter in the ACC and brings a toughness and playmaking ability to our backcourt. She is an elite defender who impacts the game on both sides of the ball. Her energy and leadership are unsurpassed, and we are excited to have her as a part of our winning culture."
In her three seasons with the Hurricanes, she played in 99 games and made 81 starts. She totaled 689 points, 383 rebounds, 250 assists and 158 steals. She earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors after her first season with the Hurricanes.
In the 2023-24 season, she averaged 7.1 points per game (fourth-best on the team), was second on the squad with 2.7 assists per game and third with 4.5 rebounds per game. She hit a half-court shot at the buzzer going into the half that sparked Miami's come from behind win over North Carolina in the first round of the 2024 ACC Tournament. She scored a season-best 16 points and hauled in seven rebounds in the home win over Duke. Tallied a career best 12 rebounds in the ACC Quarterfinals against Virginia Tech.
In her sophomore season, she started in all 35 games as the Hurricanes were one of three ACC teams to advance to the Elite Eight (Louisville, Virginia Tech). She averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game on the year and led the Hurricanes with a career-best 93 assists. She scored in double figures eight times and had multiple steals in 11 games, including a season-best five against UMES. Williams scored a career-high 28 points against Columbia on Nov. 27.
In her first collegiate season, she was named to the All-ACC Freshman team after being one of just two to rank in the top five among ACC Freshmen in steals (first), rebounding (third), scoring (fourth) and assists (fourth). Williams led the Hurricanes with 65 steals and was third on the team in scoring (7.3) and rebounds (4.3). She also led the Hurricanes with a .416 field goal percentage on the year (minimum 200 attempts). Her 65 steals ranked third among all ACC players that season.
Williams hails from Pompano Beach, Fla. and played high school ball at Blanche Ely. She was named the Sun Sentinel Broward County Class 7A-6A Player of the Year in 2019-20. In her senior season, she served as the team captain and led her team to its first state championship since 1992. She earned a spot on the Miami Herald's First Team and Sun Sentinel's First Team for two years straight.
"We are thrilled to add guard Ja'Leah Williams to our roster," said Walz. "Ja'Leah is a 3-year starter in the ACC and brings a toughness and playmaking ability to our backcourt. She is an elite defender who impacts the game on both sides of the ball. Her energy and leadership are unsurpassed, and we are excited to have her as a part of our winning culture."
In her three seasons with the Hurricanes, she played in 99 games and made 81 starts. She totaled 689 points, 383 rebounds, 250 assists and 158 steals. She earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors after her first season with the Hurricanes.
In the 2023-24 season, she averaged 7.1 points per game (fourth-best on the team), was second on the squad with 2.7 assists per game and third with 4.5 rebounds per game. She hit a half-court shot at the buzzer going into the half that sparked Miami's come from behind win over North Carolina in the first round of the 2024 ACC Tournament. She scored a season-best 16 points and hauled in seven rebounds in the home win over Duke. Tallied a career best 12 rebounds in the ACC Quarterfinals against Virginia Tech.
In her sophomore season, she started in all 35 games as the Hurricanes were one of three ACC teams to advance to the Elite Eight (Louisville, Virginia Tech). She averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game on the year and led the Hurricanes with a career-best 93 assists. She scored in double figures eight times and had multiple steals in 11 games, including a season-best five against UMES. Williams scored a career-high 28 points against Columbia on Nov. 27.
In her first collegiate season, she was named to the All-ACC Freshman team after being one of just two to rank in the top five among ACC Freshmen in steals (first), rebounding (third), scoring (fourth) and assists (fourth). Williams led the Hurricanes with 65 steals and was third on the team in scoring (7.3) and rebounds (4.3). She also led the Hurricanes with a .416 field goal percentage on the year (minimum 200 attempts). Her 65 steals ranked third among all ACC players that season.
Williams hails from Pompano Beach, Fla. and played high school ball at Blanche Ely. She was named the Sun Sentinel Broward County Class 7A-6A Player of the Year in 2019-20. In her senior season, she served as the team captain and led her team to its first state championship since 1992. She earned a spot on the Miami Herald's First Team and Sun Sentinel's First Team for two years straight.
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