Kelly Williams
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Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT KaTropa of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).[1] Williams, a former PBA Most Valuable Player, played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he also represented the Philippines in international competitions.
Early life
Williams was born in Detroit, Michigan to an American father and a Filipina mother. He attended Martin Luther King High School where he earned four varsity letters in basketball under head coach Benny White in the Detroit PSL basketball league. He was elected the team's co-captain in 2000, the same year that he led the Crusaders to the state semi-finals. Williams is a two-time all-league honoree.
As a senior, Williams was named an all-district and all-state player as he averaged 35 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and two assists per contest.[2] During that time, the Crusaders were ranked in the state as high as number one, and was only defeated in the semi-final round of the state championships.
Williams completed high school in 2000. During his four years, Martin Luther King had a 68–16 win-loss record.
College career
Williams attended Oakland University for four years, with the highlight of his career coming in his freshman year when the Grizzlies upset the University of Michigan.
- 2000–2001: Williams scored 18 points in Oakland's upset of Michigan on November 17, 2000. As a rookie, he ranked among the team leaders in scoring (6th), rebounding (1st), assists (4th) and steals (3rd).[3]
- 2001–2002: Williams played in every game for the Golden Grizzlies as a sophomore.
- 2002–2003: Williams played in every game for a third straight year for OU in 2002–2003, finishing third on the squad in rebounding.
- 2003–2004: Williams had a solid senior season, ranking among the team leaders in scoring (4th), rebounding (3rd), assists (4th) and steals (4th).[4]
High school statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | 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 | ||
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Oakland University | 28 | 26.0 | .341 | .321 | .678 | 5.7 | 1.71 | .9 | .5 | 5.6 |
| 2001-02 | Oakland University | 30 | 20.1 | .385 | .191 | .645 | 4.0 | .7 | 1.8 | .2 | 3.6 |
| 2002-03 | Oakland University | 28 | 22.3 | .370 | .283 | .645 | 4.4 | 1.1 | .8 | .2 | 3.8 |
| 2003-04 | Oakland University | 30 | 27.0 | .352 | .320 | .813 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .2 | 5.7 |
Amateur career
In 2004, Williams was spotted by then Philippine National Team head coach Chot Reyes after the latter was amazed with the former's work ethic and stellar play. Reyes invited Williams to try out for the Philippine Team and the high-flying forward did not hesitate, ensuing his arrival at the local basketball scene.
After displaying superb skills in exhibition games with the Philippine Team, he caught the attention of Filipino basketball aficionados, awarding him the title as the next big thing in Philippine basketball. Hence, he did not disappoint as he averaged 17.1 points and 12.8 rebounds during his stint with the Philippine Basketball League's (PBL) Magnolia.[7]
Professional career
When the Realtors took the first overall draft right in 2006, they did not hesitate to pick Kelly Williams over two-time UAAP MVP Arwind Santos, who was later picked second overall by the Air21 Express. During his rookie season, he normed averages of 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds earning him the Rookie of the Year award, making him the second Realtor to do so after Jun Limpot in 1993. In his sophomore year, he improved his game immensely, helping his team win their second championship overall and grabbing the league's Most Valuable Player award along the way.
In 2008, he was again named into the RP Training Pool under Coach Yeng Guiao.
In 2009, during the All-Star Week, Williams was diagnosed of thrombocytopenia and was out for the remaining games of the entire conference. With his absence, his team did not last long and was eliminated by the Burger King Whoopers. He was also cut from the training pool for the national team because of his illness.
In the middle of 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, Williams, along with team mates Ryan Reyes and Charles Walters, was traded to the Talk N Text Phone Pals for Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Yousif Aljamal, and Ogie Menor. The deal was brought about by Sta. Lucia's financial problems.
In 2011, Williams suited up and was the starting power forward for the Smart Gilas national basketball team, the national team of the Philippines who finished 4th in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.
Personal life
Williams is suffering from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.[8]
PBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | 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 | ||
Correct as of October 3, 2016[9]
Season-by-season averages
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Sta. Lucia | 45 | 39.2 | .378 | .312 | .657 | 9.6 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .5 | 17.3 |
| 2007–08 | Sta. Lucia | 53 | 40.5 | .379 | .289 | .599 | 10.7 | 1.7 | .9 | .6 | 18.2 |
| 2008–09 | Sta. Lucia | 35 | 39.7 | .332 | .218 | .622 | 10.2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .5 | 14.1 |
| 2009–10 | Sta. Lucia / Talk 'N Text | 44 | 34.4 | .369 | .189 | .557 | 10.6 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .6 | 14.1 |
| 2010–11 | Talk 'N Text | 63 | 26.9 | .466 | .353 | .475 | 7.2 | 1.2 | .9 | .5 | 9.5 |
| 2011–12 | Talk 'N Text | 58 | 24.1 | .407 | .234 | .556 | 6.7 | 1.2 | .6 | .6 | 9.0 |
| 2012–13 | Talk 'N Text | 34 | 27.2 | .415 | .227 | .667 | 7.6 | .8 | .7 | .3 | 9.3 |
| 2013–14 | Talk 'N Text | 45 | 22.5 | .421 | .053 | .417 | 5.5 | .7 | .6 | .3 | 6.8 |
| 2014–15 | Talk 'N Text | 38 | 14.1 | .380 | .241 | .543 | 3.6 | .5 | .6 | .3 | 4.7 |
| 2015–16 | TNT | 35 | 16.5 | .497 | .143 | .478 | 4.5 | .4 | .4 | .3 | 5.8 |
| Career | 450 | 28.8 | .394 | .259 | .570 | 7.7 | 1.3 | .8 | .5 | 11.1 | |
References
- ↑ "Together again: Kelly reunited with discoverer Chot". GMANews.TV. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Golden Grizzlies face battles on their way to winning the war". Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Official Athletics Site - Men's Basketball. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- 1 2 "Oakland Men's Basketball 2000-2001 Stats".
- 1 2 "Oakland Men's Basketball 2003-2004 Stats".
- ↑ "Oakland Men's Basketball 2001-2002 Stats".
- ↑ "Oakland Men's Basketball 2002-2003 Stats".
- ↑ Ramos, John Louie (July 16, 2010). "Basketball Player Profiles Kelly Williams". Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/kelly-williams-out-indefinitely-for-talk-n-text-due-to-illness
- ↑ Player Profile at PBA-Online!