Following the transfer acquisitions of sophomore guards Michael Zanoni and Ethan Roberts, the next domino to fall in what turned out to be an uber-aggressive offseason for Penn men’s basketball was landing junior point guard Dylan Williams.
Transferring from Triton College, a two-year university in Illinois, Williams started every game for the Trojans. This past season, the 5-foot-11 guard led his team in assists and averaged 15 points per game, shooting 40.3% from the three. Williams willed his team to an impressive 34-3 record and a National Junior College Athletic Association championship appearance, winning “Best Small Man” honors during championship weekend.
Although coming up short in the NJCAA championship, Williams’ “JUCO” tournament experience gave him invaluable knowledge that he intends to utilize at Penn: how to win in the postseason.
“What helped [Triton] in postseason play was trusting each other and just bonding,” Williams said. “We did everything outside of basketball together. We knew each other’s ins and outs, weaknesses and strengths.”
Williams’ journey to the Palestra, however, did not start at Triton.
At Irmo High School in South Carolina, Williams was a multi-sport star, lettering three times as a quarterback in football and four times in baseball. Williams went as far as stating that he was “better at baseball than basketball,” but his love for basketball was too strong.
While there has been a recent push for young athletes to focus on their main sport year-round as opposed to playing multiple sports, Williams rejected “sport specialization.” He pointed to the different skills he picked up in football and baseball as translating directly to his play in basketball.
“Football, especially the quarterback position, helped me with my awareness and agility. I’m aware of different things [because of football]. I’m not the biggest player, so kids are chasing me, and I have to be aware so I don’t get injured. And in baseball — hitting the ball, fielding the ball, and catching helped me with hand-eye coordination.”
Although excelling on his high school basketball team, Williams was not on the radar of major D-I programs coming out of high school. He chalked this up to the pandemic’s effect on recruitment nationwide.
After graduating, Williams would go on to play basketball at Mineral Area College in Missouri, another NJCAA program, leading his team in both points and assists before making his transfer to Triton.
Counting his senior year of high school, the Quakers will be Williams’ fourth team in as many years. Although thrown into a new situation again and again, Williams has been able to find consistency through his playstyle. He knows chemistry is crucial for team success. When push comes to shove, though, he feels he can put anyone in a position to score.
“It’s not a matter of who I’m playing with. It’s just playing the game of basketball.”
Williams referred to the academic opportunities as a major reason for choosing Penn over other universities, along with the atmosphere around Penn’s athletics. Williams visited campus for the first time during the Penn Relays, an experience he noted as “amazing.”
Additionally, like fellow transfer Zanoni noted to The Daily Pennsylvanian, recent success within the Ivy League conference during March Madness stuck out to Williams when choosing his next school.
“Watching Princeton take down Arizona and Yale take out Auburn,” Williams said, “that’s very attractive to someone that’s looking at the conference.”
In a statement released by Penn Athletics, coach Steve Donahue described Williams as a “true point guard.” Williams wholeheartedly agreed with his new coach’s designation, pointing to his leadership qualities and his ability to enlist the trust of his teammates. He has already begun to build chemistry with the other members of the team’s transfer class, Roberts and Zanoni, posing for workout pictures across social media.
One thing becomes clear about Dylan Williams upon hearing his story and meeting him: his grit.
Nothing has been handed to him. Throughout high school and two years playing at the JUCO level, he grinded for this payoff, but the work is not finished yet. He intends to fully capitalize on every opportunity playing D-I basketball at Penn has to offer him.
“I’ve been on a hunt to [play D-I] for two years now. So for me, to finally be here, I want to make the most of it. I want to win an Ivy League championship. I want to be able to play in March Madness. I want to be able to win the Philly Big 5. I want to get all the accolades that come with it.”
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