Williams took a chance transferring to UAA and it’s paying off big time

Looking at Autummn Williams now, it's hard to believe the UAA senior guard hit a road block in her basketball career just a year ago.

Williams, a transfer from Division I Arkansas-Little Rock, earned national player of the week honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association this week after scoring 65 points in two games last week.

She was also, for the second straight week, the player of the week in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which has honored her four times this season.

Williams is the GNAC's third-leading scorer with 21 points per game even though she averages 28 minutes per game. She has eclipsed 20 points in 10 of her last 12 games.

Yet, just a year ago, Williams was little more than an afterthought at Little Rock, where she mustered a season-high of four points and saw the court in 11 games.

"Certain things don't work out and I think everything happens for a reason, and I'm just meant to be here," Williams said this week. "I'm glad I made the decision to come here because these happen to be the best moments of my life right now."

They are some of the best moments for the Seawolves too.

Heading into the final four games of the season, UAA is 23-1 overall, 16-0 in the GNAC and ranked second in the nation. The Seawolves lost seven seniors from last year's national-runner-up squad, but new players like Williams have helped them reload rather than rebuild.

In Williams, they found a star waiting to shine.

"I think what she just needed is someone to believe in her," UAA coach Ryan McCarthy said. "I think that's what the big thing was, (and I) bought in from clip No. 1."

When Williams, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward, decided she wanted to leave Little Rock, she reached out to a former community college teammate, Dominique Brooks, who played her senior season at UAA last season.

Brooks, who came to UAA from Penn State, told Williams to consider the Seawolves. The two played together at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.

McCarthy had already seen Williams on film, and he was impressed.

"Autummn did not play very much at Arkansas-Little Rock, so I think there were about 12 clips on her," McCarthy said. "There was one clip in particular I watched. She ended up missing this lay-in, but it was a double-pump, which you don't see a lot of girls basketball players do.

"I thought, 'Holy moly, if we can get this kid in our system … she'd be really good.' "

Williams decided to give UAA a shot. The native of Kennedale, Texas, said her friends and family thought she was a little crazy for choosing a school in Alaska as her third college basketball team in four seasons.

"Now they know why I came here," Williams said with a laugh.

Off the court, Williams is easy-going and quiet, McCarthy said, but on the court, she exudes athleticism and confidence.

"You wouldn't expect that this person that doesn't speak very much or have a dominant personality (to dominate) the way that she does," he said.

Against Seattle Pacific in January, the game was close and UAA needed a basket. When a set play broke down, Williams was forced to launch a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc to beat the shot clock.

Before the ball even went in, she turned to McCarthy and gave the "3" sign.

"It was kind of one of those times where I was like 'man, I'm glad she's on our team,' " McCarthy said.

Although Williams often makes things look easy, she said she's still learning parts of McCarthy's system.

When she arrived at UAA, she had never played zone defense in her life. She's still learning UAA's frenetic "mayhem" defense, which includes a full-court press and fast-paced zone play.

"When (McCarthy) first told me that they press the whole game, I thought he was crazy," Williams said. "It is different. Nobody runs (this defense) in the country, so it is different and I actually love it."

Williams is one of four players who will be honored Saturday on Senior Night. Seniors Alysha Devine and Kiki Robertson and junior Sierra Afoa — who has earned her degree and is giving up her final year of eligibility — will also be honored.

Williams said her mom, Sharon Jones, will be in attendance. Other family members, including dad Clifford Williams, brother Robert and sister Aysia, will be watching online as usual.

"(Senior Night) came too quick," Williams said. "A couple weeks ago I didn't know it was this close … I'm just grateful we have such a (great) fan base and so many supporters that come here on a consistent basis."