Players

Kim Williams

Year Inducted: 2002

Category: Players

Schools / Organizations: (Chicago) Marshall High School
West Arkansas Junior College
DePaul University
WNBA, NWBL, and overseas

Biography:

Kim Williams had one of the greatest careers in the storied history of the (Chicago) Marshall High School girls’ basketball program and in the state. Williams was a four-time all-state selection before going on to success at West Arkansas Junior College, DePaul University and professionally.

Williams played on state championship teams in 1990, 1992 and 1993 for IBCA Hall of Fame coach Dorothy Gaters. She was a first-team all-tourney selection in the final two championships. As a senior, Williams was selected as Ms. Basketball in Illinois by the Chicago Tribune and IBCA and was the first player unanimously chosen as the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. She competed in four consecutive Chicago Public League championships and was the MVP of the Kodak All-America game as a senior.

She led West Arkansas Junior College (now the University of Arkansas Fort Smith) to a 35-0 season and NJCAA championship in 1995 after a runnerup finish in 1994. Williams was MVP of the 1995 NJCAA national tourney for a team regarded as the best JUCO championship team in history. Williams earned two-time first-team NJCAA All-America, two-time all-Region and two-time all-Region tourney MVP honors.

From there Williams returned home to lead DePaul University to two NCAA tournament trips. As a senior she was third-team Associated Press All-America and conference player of the year as she was second in the nation in scoring (25.2 ppg) and averaged 5.6 assists and 4.5 steals a game. She ranks 29th in career scoring, with 1,203 points in just two years, and her senior season scoring average is second-best in school history.

Williams averaged 7.8 points in two seasons with Utah in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She also played 13 seasons overseas in Europe and two seasons with the Chicago Blaze of that National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL). She is a member of the Arkansas Fort Smith and DePaul University halls of fame.

(Photo courtesy of The University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith)