Williams played four seasons under former head coach Ron Kestenbaum while helping UALR make the leap from NAIA to the Division I level. He still holds the top spots in the UALR basketball record book for career steals (259) and assists (534). Those numbers are good enough to respectively rank first and 15th in Atlantic Sun Conference (formerly known as the TAAC) history.
“I was really shocked, amazed and excited,” said Williams on his reaction to the news of his induction. “After so many years, it's amazing to me that I would still be appreciated. The things you do 30 years ago, you don't think about those things anymore and you don't expect people to remember. But it was really amazing.”
Williams' 71 steals during the 1981-82 season stand as the single-season record at UALR. He went on to earn All-TAAC Tournament and Honorable Mention All-America honors that same year. The following season, Williams earned All-TAAC honors and was named to his second straight All-TAAC Tournament team. He averaged a team-high 15.5 points and 6.3 assists while leading UALR to the TAAC Tournament title game as a senior.
Known for more than his defense, Williams sits ninth on UALR's all-time scoring list with 1,237 career points and fifth with 510 made field goals. He became just the second player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark as a senior, an honor that just 16 players have since achieved.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Williams said he chose UALR over Oklahoma State because of the people of Arkansas and the chance to be part of growing the UALR basketball name. The Trojans had just completed the transition to Division I upon Williams' arrival.
“Coming from New York, the people in Arkansas treated me really nice. I really felt like I was welcome,” said Williams. “It was a school that wasn't established yet, and I wanted to be part of building something. That really drew me to Little Rock.”
Following Williams' time at UALR, he began a career in the military that spanned 20 years and took him all across the world. He has spent time in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Korea, in addition to numerous areas across the United States.
Williams currently resides in Fayetteville, N.C., and is working towards his master's degree in social work from the University of New England.
“I'm at the point in my life now where all I really want to do is give back,” said Williams. “I'm working towards my master's with the aspiration of opening up a non-profit organization for at-risk youth.”
Williams and his wife, Denise, have one daughter, Vanisha.
