University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Worth The Wait
Jan 29, 2021 | Men's Basketball
Williams had a long and winding road to play Division I basketball.
DeAndre Williams doesn't lament the odyssey. The Evansville transfer's path to Memphis was a long-and-winding one, filled with its share of obstacles, hurdles and detours, not to mention an abundance of teaching moments.
That Williams is playing Division I college basketball is an impressive nod to his tenacity.
"It's been very hard," Williams said.
After withdrawing from Houston's Klein Forest High in 2015 – where he was struggling academically entering his senior year – he attended two homeschools, earning his diploma from second of those, National High School in 2017.
He spent the 2017-18 season at Nation Wide Academy, a prep school in Oklahoma City, landing there since he didn't have the necessary paperwork to enroll at a four-year NCAA institution out of National High School.
His averages of 24 points and 11 rebounds at Nation Wide Academy attracted the attention of multiple schools and he signed with Evansville, becoming a member of Coach Walter McCarty's first class at Evansville. But he missed his first season at Evansville after being declared an academic non-qualifier by the NCAA. He was allowed to practice, but couldn't compete during the 2018-19 campaign.
He finally made his college debut during the 2019-20 season. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 18 games for the Aces, but found himself on the move again, leaving in wake of his coach's in-season dismissal.
Immediate playing time was not guaranteed when he chose to relocate to Coach Penny Hardaway's Memphis program. It wasn't until mid-December that Williams was cleared, the result of an NCAA Division I Council vote to give all transfer student-athletes eligibility for this season.
It's an understatement to say few in the sport have endured as many ups and downs – in as short a time frame – as the 24-year-old Williams.
"It has taught me a lot about being a basketball player and a man at the same time," he said. "It helped me develop a lot of patience and a lot of willpower to be able to overcome a lot of adversity. It was not just me that helped me get through it, it was God. I always kept Him first and He helped me."
Known for making favorable first impressions – whether on the court or off – Williams, a junior, made his University of Memphis debut Dec. 16 at Tulane and needed only 19 seconds to, well, impress. He slammed home a teammate's miss after coming in off the bench. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in the UofM's 80-74 American Athletic Conference victory.
"If you go back and watch the film, I was celebrating just as hard as he was after that dunk," said Tigers guard Alex Lomax. "It wasn't shocking to me. I saw this summer what he could do, before he put on a University of Memphis jersey. I always knew what he was capable of doing."
A year earlier while in an Evansville uniform, he scored 26 points and had nine rebounds in his first game, a win over Ball State. It was the best debut by an Evansville player in 33 years.
"It was thrilling the way I entered playing for Memphis for the first time," Williams said. "It was an amazing feeling. I was so hyped. I had an adrenaline rush. It was so exciting to be in that position and play the way I did.
"At Evansville, I played some of my best basketball in that first game. I didn't know any better. I was playing so free. I was playing for the first time in about two-and-a-half years. I didn't know what I was going to come in and do. I was nervous. I was playing college basketball for the first time. But I got comfortable and the game was fun. And when the game is fun, you look good."
Later in his first season at Evansville, Williams scored a career-high 37 points on a near-perfect effort from the field. He made 17 of his 18 field goal attempts. The season also included an upset of No.1-ranked Kentucky.
Since getting the green light to play for the Tigers, Williams, a rangy 6-foot-9 forward, has been an all-around contributor, a stats-sheet stuffer. He had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in a Jan. 26 home win over SMU. In the team's Jan. 28 setback at SMU, Williams posted the first double-double of his UofM career (17 points, 11 rebounds) and added four assists and two steals. He grabbed five of the Tigers' seven offensive rebounds.In a Dec. 29 victory over USF, Williams scored 12 points and dished out five assists.
"He had three quick assists when we put him in at point guard (in a mid-January home win against Wichita State)," Hardaway said.
Hardaway raved about Williams before he was declared eligible, praising his boundless energy and inherent leadership abilities in practices. Hardaway repeatedly noted practice teams that had Williams "always seemed to win." The charismatic Williams said those leadership qualities come naturally.
"I've always had that wherever I've been," Williams said. "I try to lead by example. When I do that, it makes me feel like a leader.
"I think it comes from being raised in a Christian home and keeping God first. I was taught to do the right things. But I'm the kind of person that likes to see everyone else do well. I feel like I'm in the position to do that. And it helps me when I help others."Â
Lomax developed a relationship with Williams during the summer when the two would play in pickup games, getting "open runs" in area community centers, in addition to playing at the team's practice facility, the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center.
"He's been so patient, he's been through a lot," Lomax said. "Me and DeAndre connect on a personal level off the court, too. His story just motivates me. To see what he's been through in his life and how he got here, it just touches my heart."
Williams said he bonded with his new teammates during the summer as the Tigers went through preseason practices, workouts in the weight room and even while battling through the rigors, hardships and delays caused by the pandemic. Additionally, he had to shoulder the mental hardship of not knowing whether he'd be eligible to play this season.
"That was so hard for me and my mom, mentally," he said. "I'd already had to sit out (awaiting eligibility at previous stops). But God eased our minds with patience. There's no way possible it could have been just me getting through those things.
"I learned patience and how to get through adversity. When I have a bad game, it's like the same thing. It's like any adversity. I just pray about it. I try not to get too down on myself. If you get too down, you (risk) staying down."
Although he's been on campus only a short while, Williams has made an impression on the staff and his teammates, creating goodwill through his talent and tenacity.
"Just to be on the court with him is a blessing," Lomax said. "Me and DeAndre, we are locked in for the rest of our lives. He is a special person. He has a big heart. He cares about everybody. He's the most selfless person I know."
That Williams is playing Division I college basketball is an impressive nod to his tenacity.
"It's been very hard," Williams said.
After withdrawing from Houston's Klein Forest High in 2015 – where he was struggling academically entering his senior year – he attended two homeschools, earning his diploma from second of those, National High School in 2017.
He spent the 2017-18 season at Nation Wide Academy, a prep school in Oklahoma City, landing there since he didn't have the necessary paperwork to enroll at a four-year NCAA institution out of National High School.
His averages of 24 points and 11 rebounds at Nation Wide Academy attracted the attention of multiple schools and he signed with Evansville, becoming a member of Coach Walter McCarty's first class at Evansville. But he missed his first season at Evansville after being declared an academic non-qualifier by the NCAA. He was allowed to practice, but couldn't compete during the 2018-19 campaign.
He finally made his college debut during the 2019-20 season. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 18 games for the Aces, but found himself on the move again, leaving in wake of his coach's in-season dismissal.
Immediate playing time was not guaranteed when he chose to relocate to Coach Penny Hardaway's Memphis program. It wasn't until mid-December that Williams was cleared, the result of an NCAA Division I Council vote to give all transfer student-athletes eligibility for this season.
It's an understatement to say few in the sport have endured as many ups and downs – in as short a time frame – as the 24-year-old Williams.
"It has taught me a lot about being a basketball player and a man at the same time," he said. "It helped me develop a lot of patience and a lot of willpower to be able to overcome a lot of adversity. It was not just me that helped me get through it, it was God. I always kept Him first and He helped me."
Known for making favorable first impressions – whether on the court or off – Williams, a junior, made his University of Memphis debut Dec. 16 at Tulane and needed only 19 seconds to, well, impress. He slammed home a teammate's miss after coming in off the bench. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in the UofM's 80-74 American Athletic Conference victory.
"If you go back and watch the film, I was celebrating just as hard as he was after that dunk," said Tigers guard Alex Lomax. "It wasn't shocking to me. I saw this summer what he could do, before he put on a University of Memphis jersey. I always knew what he was capable of doing."
A year earlier while in an Evansville uniform, he scored 26 points and had nine rebounds in his first game, a win over Ball State. It was the best debut by an Evansville player in 33 years.
"It was thrilling the way I entered playing for Memphis for the first time," Williams said. "It was an amazing feeling. I was so hyped. I had an adrenaline rush. It was so exciting to be in that position and play the way I did.
"At Evansville, I played some of my best basketball in that first game. I didn't know any better. I was playing so free. I was playing for the first time in about two-and-a-half years. I didn't know what I was going to come in and do. I was nervous. I was playing college basketball for the first time. But I got comfortable and the game was fun. And when the game is fun, you look good."
Later in his first season at Evansville, Williams scored a career-high 37 points on a near-perfect effort from the field. He made 17 of his 18 field goal attempts. The season also included an upset of No.1-ranked Kentucky.
Since getting the green light to play for the Tigers, Williams, a rangy 6-foot-9 forward, has been an all-around contributor, a stats-sheet stuffer. He had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in a Jan. 26 home win over SMU. In the team's Jan. 28 setback at SMU, Williams posted the first double-double of his UofM career (17 points, 11 rebounds) and added four assists and two steals. He grabbed five of the Tigers' seven offensive rebounds.In a Dec. 29 victory over USF, Williams scored 12 points and dished out five assists.
"He had three quick assists when we put him in at point guard (in a mid-January home win against Wichita State)," Hardaway said.
Hardaway raved about Williams before he was declared eligible, praising his boundless energy and inherent leadership abilities in practices. Hardaway repeatedly noted practice teams that had Williams "always seemed to win." The charismatic Williams said those leadership qualities come naturally.
"I've always had that wherever I've been," Williams said. "I try to lead by example. When I do that, it makes me feel like a leader.
"I think it comes from being raised in a Christian home and keeping God first. I was taught to do the right things. But I'm the kind of person that likes to see everyone else do well. I feel like I'm in the position to do that. And it helps me when I help others."Â
Lomax developed a relationship with Williams during the summer when the two would play in pickup games, getting "open runs" in area community centers, in addition to playing at the team's practice facility, the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center.
"He's been so patient, he's been through a lot," Lomax said. "Me and DeAndre connect on a personal level off the court, too. His story just motivates me. To see what he's been through in his life and how he got here, it just touches my heart."
Williams said he bonded with his new teammates during the summer as the Tigers went through preseason practices, workouts in the weight room and even while battling through the rigors, hardships and delays caused by the pandemic. Additionally, he had to shoulder the mental hardship of not knowing whether he'd be eligible to play this season.
"That was so hard for me and my mom, mentally," he said. "I'd already had to sit out (awaiting eligibility at previous stops). But God eased our minds with patience. There's no way possible it could have been just me getting through those things.
"I learned patience and how to get through adversity. When I have a bad game, it's like the same thing. It's like any adversity. I just pray about it. I try not to get too down on myself. If you get too down, you (risk) staying down."
Although he's been on campus only a short while, Williams has made an impression on the staff and his teammates, creating goodwill through his talent and tenacity.
"Just to be on the court with him is a blessing," Lomax said. "Me and DeAndre, we are locked in for the rest of our lives. He is a special person. He has a big heart. He cares about everybody. He's the most selfless person I know."
Players Mentioned
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