Charles Williams (basketball)

Charles Williams Jr. (born September 11, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Howard Bison between 2016 and 2020 where he became the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's all-time leading scorer. As of 2021–22 he plays for B.B.C. Etzella in Luxembourg.

Charles Williams
Williams in November 2016
B.B.C. Etzella
PositionShooting guard
LeagueTotal League
Personal information
Born (1996-09-11) September 11, 1996
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeHoward (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Career history
2021–presentB.B.C. Etzella
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-MEAC (2018, 2019)
  • Second-team All-MEAC (2020)
  • Third-team All-MEAC (2017)
  • MEAC Rookie of the Year (2017)
  • MEAC All-Rookie Team (2017)

Early life and high school career

Williams started playing basketball at age four and grew up playing in a local recreational league in Petersburg, Virginia. He drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant and was nicknamed "Bean" after Bryant's middle name.[1][2] Williams attended Evangel Christian School in Dale City, Virginia before moving to Millwood School in Midlothian, Virginia for his sophomore season. In his first year, he was a member of Millwood's inaugural varsity basketball team.[3] In the same season, Williams helped his team win the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III state championship, scoring 28 points in the title game.[4][5] As a senior, he was a first-team all-league selection.[6] Williams committed to play college basketball for Howard in part because of his father's relationship with head coach Kevin Nickelberry.[4]

College career

In his freshman season at Howard, Williams was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Week seven times and scored a career-high 37 points in a 73–70 loss to Savannah State on January 28, 2017. He averaged 15.7 points per game and was named MEAC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-MEAC.[7] As a sophomore, he was joined in Howard's back court by R. J. Cole.[8] Williams averaged 20.4 points per game, which ranked second in the MEAC behind Cole, and became the second fastest player to reach 1,000 career points in program history. He was named to the First Team All-MEAC.[9] In his junior season, he averaged 17.9 points per game, finishing second in the MEAC behind Cole, and earned First Team All-MEAC honors for his second time.[6] He declared for the 2019 NBA draft before deciding to return to Howard. On November 30, 2019, as a senior, he became Howard's all-time leading scorer after posting 13 points in a loss to Mount St. Mary's.[4] Williams scored a season-high 34 points on January 14, 2020 in a 101–95 overtime loss to South Carolina State.[10] On February 22, he became the all-time leading scorer in the MEAC, surpassing Delaware State's Tom Davis, who played from 1987 to 1991.[11] In his senior season, he averaged 18.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and was a Second Team All-MEAC selection.[6]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Williams eventually signed with B.B.C. Etzella in 2021, a team in Luxembourg's Total League, the highest men's basketball league in that country.[12]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Howard 342530.0.396.342.7592.6.6.6.415.6
2017–18 Howard 333335.5.446.409.7823.4.6.8.320.4
2018–19 Howard 333331.1.446.373.8552.7.7.7.317.9
2019–20 Howard 333134.2.414.300.7024.31.2.7.518.5
Career 13312232.7.426.357.7663.2.8.7.418.1

Personal life

Williams' father, Charles Sr., played college basketball for Virginia State.[4] In September 2018, his mother, Michelle Watts, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer, before eventually recovering.[13]

See also

References
  1. Howard, Jonathan (January 20, 2018). "804 Ballers: Charles Williams shines at Howard, plus updates on 35 former area standouts". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. Bradford, Janae. "CJ Williams: HBCU Basketball Role Model". Straightforward Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. Kolenich, Eric (February 28, 2014). "Metro Richmond's newest basketball team an instant success". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. Jeter, Fred (December 13, 2019). "Chesterfield's Charles Williams racking up the points at Howard". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. Greer, Will (March 2, 2014). "Millwood wins state title in first year of competition". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  6. "Charles Williams". Howard University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  7. "Williams Named MEAC Rookie of the Year". Howard University Athletics. March 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  8. Maisonet III, Eddie. "The District's Best Backcourt Resides On The Hilltop". The Sportsfan Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. Bryant, Derek W. (March 2, 2018). "Cole, Williams Named to the All-MEAC First Team". Howard University Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  10. "Howard Falls in Overtime to South Carolina St". Howard University Athletics. January 14, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  11. Grant, Kira Nicole (February 27, 2020). "History In The Making: Charles "CJ" Williams breaks the MEAC's All-Time Scoring Record". The Hilltop. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  12. "C.J. Williams". RealGM. 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  13. Hill Jr., Ed (March 5, 2020). "Men's Hoops' Williams Achieves Despite Life-Changing Experience". Howard University Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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