Mark Williams (basketball)

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Mark Williams
No. 15 – Duke Blue Devils
PositionCenter
LeagueAtlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-12-16) December 16, 2001 (age 20)
Norfolk, Virginia
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDuke (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards

Mark Oluwafemi Williams (born December 16, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

High school career[]

Williams began his high school basketball career at Norfolk Academy. He was invited to the NBA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2018. Williams passed the 1,000 point threshold in February 2019.[1] As a junior, he averaged 19.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game to help the Bulldogs reach the VISAA state tournament. He was selected to the USA Today All-USA Virginia Boys Basketball second team.[2] During the 2019 Nike EYBL, Williams averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 63.8% from the floor. During the Nike Peach Jam in July 2019, Williams averaged 23.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 76.0 percent in two games for the Boo Williams program.[3] Coming into his senior season, he transferred to IMG Academy, which finished the previous season as the GEICO Nationals champions.[4] Williams was named a 2020 McDonald's All-American.[5] On January 31, 2020, he posted 19 points and 16 rebounds in a 64–62 win over Hillcrest Prep.[6]

Recruiting[]

Williams was considered a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN. On November 1, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Duke, choosing the Blue Devils over Michigan and UCLA after taking official visits to all three schools.[3] Williams chose Duke in large part due to the possibility for a national championship, and said he wants to pattern his game after Wendell Carter Jr.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mark Williams
C 		Virginia Beach, VA IMG Academy (FL) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 1, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 31  247Sports: 18  ESPN: 32
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.

College career[]

Before the start of the season, Williams was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award preseason watch list.[8] On January 30, 2021, Williams scored 11 points and 5 rebounds in a 79–53 win over Clemson.[9] On February 13, 2021, Williams scored 13 points and 5 blocks in a 69–53 victory against NC State.[10] On February 22, 2021, Williams scored 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 85–71 win over Syracuse.[11] On March 10, 2021, Williams scored another Double-Double of 23 points and 19 rebounds in a 70–56 victory against Louisville in the second round of the ACC Tournament.[12] In that game Williams 19 rebounds became the most ever set by a freshman in the ACC Tournament, were he would surpass former Virginia center and NBA Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson's 18 rebounds against Clemson in the 1980 ACC Tournament and ranked third most for a freshman at Duke. As a freshman, Williams averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[13]

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
2020–21 Duke 23 15 15.2 .664 – .537 4.5 .7 .6 1.4 7.1

Personal life[]

Williams' older sister, Elizabeth, played college basketball at Duke from 2011 to 2015 before being selected fourth in the 2015 WNBA draft.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Epstein, Nathan (February 13, 2019). "Mark Williams soaring as one of the most sought-after recruits in America". WAVY. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Frankenberry, Jami (November 1, 2019). "Former Norfolk Academy basketball star Mark Williams commits to Duke". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Borzello, Jeff (November 1, 2019). "Top-5 center Mark Williams announces commitment to Duke". ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Jordan, Jason (July 19, 2019). "Elite center Mark Williams will transfer to IMG Academy". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Former Norfolk Academy center Mark Williams gains invitation to McDonald's All-American Game". Daily Press. January 24, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Koelble, Tim (January 31, 2020). "Montverde, IMG reach SJIT final". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Williams, Mark (November 1, 2019). "The Mark Williams Blog: This is why I chose Duke..." USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Mark Williams Named to Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Piazza, Jake (January 30, 2021). "Tigers Tamed: Duke men's basketball blows out Clemson behind balanced offensive attack". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Hurt, Blue Devils roll past Wolfpack 69–53 in ACC Play". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "Williams Double-Double Helps Duke Top Syracuse, 85-71". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "Williams dominates inside as Duke rolls to ACC quarters". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  13. ^ Krest, Shawn (April 23, 2021). "Mark Williams Returning to Duke For Sophomore Year". 247 Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2021.

External links[]

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