University of Dayton Athletics

Known as a lockdown defender and catch-and-shoot specialist, Paul Williams has lived up to that billing as a member of the University of Dayton men’s basketball team. Williams has the task of defending the opponent’s top perimeter player each game. The lefty 6-4 shooting guard also has the ability of knocking down jumpers from beyond the arc. Williams’ .418 three-point percentage his junior campaign has him re-writing the UD record books with the ninth best percentage for a single season. He is also on the cusp of breaking into the top ten in UD history for best three-point accuracy in a career. His career three-point percentage of .371 has him just on the outside looking in.

Williams also has a reputation of being clutch when it matters most. More often than not, the poised guard has a knack for coming through with a huge bucket or drilling free throws down the stretch. When the game is on the line the Flyers are confident with the ball in Williams’ hands, and his late game play will be counted on in his final season in Flyer uniform.

Williams will be expected to take on a leadership role as one of the four seniors on the 2011-2012 team. Of the four seniors, Williams has played the second most minutes and his veteran leadership will be counted on immensely if the Flyers are to have a successful 2011-2012 campaign.

2010-11
The early season shooting of Paul Williams put him on a record-setting pace. Through the first 11 games of the season, Williams was shooting .552 (21-of-38) from beyond the arc. He tapered off a bit but still managed to shoot a scorching .418 from downtown for the season, which ranked him fifth in the A-10. Overall, Williams scored 301 points, which is good enough for 8.4 points per game. He shot the ball well from the foul line with a percentage of .786 (55-of-70). Williams also shot the ball well from the field with a .406 (95-of-234) percentage. He played in all 36 games, which included 34 starts, while playing a total of 951 minutes (26.4 mpg). For the season, Williams scored in double-figures 14 times.

The red-hot early season shooting began in the first game against Mount St. Mary’s for Williams. In that game, he poured in 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Against Savannah State, he netted 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from downtown. At home against Miami, Williams scored 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

At Old Dominion, Williams scored a career-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. The five three pointers made were also a career-high. In the thrilling double-overtime victory against New Mexico, Williams played a career-high 41 minutes as he buried 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc and finished with a total of 16 points. Williams chipped in 12 points in the road contests at Saint Louis and UMass to start the A-10 conference slate. He also scored 12 points at Rhode Island on 4-of-10 shooting from the field. In the home match-up against Xavier, Williams netted 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

In the A-10 conference tournament quarterfinal win against Xavier, Williams poured in 14 points on a stellar 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown. In the NIT against College of Charleston, Williams ended the season on a strong note by netting 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
2009-10
Williams saw his playing time increase during his sophomore campaign as he served as a key role player in the Flyers’ success. Williams stepped up in the early season victory over #19 Georgia Tech as he recorded 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting and three assists. In that game Williams proved to be clutch for the Flyers as he scored the team’s final seven points in the last minute of regulation. He hit the go-ahead three pointer with 56 seconds left to give the Flyers a 59-57 lead that they would not relinquish. He also proved to be a clutch shooter from the foul line as he went 4-of-4 and recorded a steal in the final 34 seconds. He scored 10 points and dished out three assists against Kansas State.

The Flyers were forced to play Appalachian State without Marcus Johnson and Chris Johnson due to injury, and Williams responded well. He chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of play as the Flyers cruised to victory. Williams also chipped in 12 points at Duquesne. In the first round match-up of the A-10 tournament against George Washington, Paul scored 10 points, which included a stellar 7-of-8 from the foul line. He scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the NIT second-round victory at Cincinnati. However, Williams saved his best performance for last as he scored a career-high 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting against North Carolina in the NIT championship game. He was on fire from beyond the arc as he buried 4-of-7 three-pointers. Overall, Williams averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing 20.4 minutes per game. He played in 36 games, which included 10 starts. He shot 37% from the field, 35% from beyond the arc, and 75% from the foul line.

2008-09
Williams scored nine points and shot 3-for-5 from three-point range in a win over Troy. He corralled four rebounds in 11 minutes versus Miami. He picked up two steals, a rebound and an assist versus St. Bonaventure. Williams snagged a season-best six rebounds and scored four points versus Saint Louis. He added another five rebounds against Saint Joseph’s. He sank a three-pointer and dished out two assists against No. 14 Xavier. He scored six points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out an assist versus Richmond. Williams matched his season-best with six rebounds and added four points at Saint Louis, and had three rebounds at No. 17/18 Xavier. He added seven points and four rebounds versus Duquesne, and had four points and two rebounds against Richmond in the A-10 Quarterfinals. Versus West Virginia in the NCAA First Round, Williams recorded three points. He added three points and five rebounds in the Kansas game.

High School
One of the top prep recruits out of Michigan, Williams brought a reputation as a clutch shooter and lockdown defender to the Flyer backcourt. He was a member of the A-10’s Preseason All-Newcomer team. An athletic 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Detroit’s Renaissance High School, Williams was one of four finalists for the title of Michigan’s “Mr. Basketball” during his senior year. As a senior, he averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, and once scored 55 points during his junior year. Williams shot 51 percent from the field and 78 percent from the foul line during his senior campaign.