Kam Williams wasted little time deciding to come to Kentucky after he went in the transfer portal following his leaving Tulane.
Just four days after entering the transfer portal, he committed to the Wildcats on March 28 without having ever visited Lexington.
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Williams talked to UK’s coaching staff while they were getting ready for the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup with Tennessee.
“They reached out to me one of the quickest among the other schools,” Williams told the Cats’ Pause in early April. “After they reached out, we kind of just had to see if they checked all the boxes regarding what I’m looking for in a school. Once we had the Zoom call with coach (Pope), he welcomed us, and he and his staff really just showed they were interested in me. They explained the procedures they take for their players and how they truly care about them and put them in situations for them to be successful. Just hearing that and how they treat their players and the culture that they built together as one was something I wanted to be a part of.
“I don’t know if I was the first target, but it felt like I was the first target.”
Williams is a 6-foot-8 wing who is described as a 3-and-D wing with a lot of upside on both ends of the floor. He has length and shooting ability.
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A 3-and-D player is primarily associated with the NBA and describes a type of basketball athlete who is adept at making jump shots, particularly from three-point range, and playing high level defense, especially against the opposing team’s best offensive scorers.
“I would embrace that role more, that’s what’s getting the attention,” Williams said of being a 3-and-D. “Three point shooter, defender. Coach needs shooters and defenders, and my prototype is shooting and defending.
Pope knew he was getting a good player who could develop into a top level talent with the Wildcats.
“Kam is a beautiful kid who is not only an elite-level shooter but also an elite 1-through-4 defender,” Pope said when Williams signed. “He has a ton of gravity to his game and has untapped athleticism that is going to make his ceiling really high.”
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The Lafayette, Louisiana, native started 28 of the 33 games played during his freshman campaign. He connected on 42.2% of his field-goal attempts, 41.2% from long range and 78.6% from the free-throw line. Williams logged 14 double-figure scoring efforts and earned one double-double. Williams notched 13 points and 10 boards in an 86-81 win over East Carolina.
Williams is coming off an American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team season at Tulane where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
Other top performances from his freshman season include 16 points and eight rebounds which included draining a trio of 3s in the AAC Tournament against Memphis. He poured in a career-high 24 points and made six 3s in a win over UAB.
Williams will be ready to do more of the same for the Wildcats.
