Jack Williams wants nothing more than to play in the Big Dance his final season of college basketball.
That desire combined with a relationship that dates back to high school with All-Big Sky Conference guard Michael Oguine led Williams to Missoula, Montana.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound gradate transfer from University of the Pacific in the West Coast Conference fielded offers he called “surprising” from ACC contender Clemson along with Mountain West powers Boise State and Wyoming and rebuilding Pac 12 member Washington State.
Oguine helped alert Montana head coach Travis DeCuire of Williams’ ability to stretch the floor as a power forward with good shooting touch and deft passing, a pair of skills absent for UM’s stretch four spot during the Grizzlies’ first run to the NCAA Tournament in five years this spring.
Williams weighed his options over the last month following the end of former NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire’s second season at the helm at PU. His fit into Montana’s system, his previous chemistry with Oguine and his desire to compete on the biggest stage in men’s college hoops caused him to commit to the Big Sky champion Griz on Monday afternoon.
“Right fit and best chance to make the tournament and make a run in the tournament,” Williams said from Stockton via cell phone on Monday evening. “Some of these teams, you are talking about the Mountain West where, you saw in the WCC this year, Saint Mary’s didn’t get in. It’s hard when there are a bunch of teams in the league and it’s a one-bid league most of the time.
“I feel like we have the best chance at Montana to make the tournament and me to have a big role on this team while doing all that.”
Of his other options, Williams considered Clemson seriously as well. The Tigers finished second in the ACC regular-season standings, advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament before losing to No. 1 Virginia, earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16.
“I felt like Montana’s coaches and the guys in the team, they felt like I would be more valuable to the team than at Clemson,” Williams said. “I would probably play but not as much as Montana because they are in the ACC coming from the WCC. Whereas the Big Sky, I don’t think is as good as the WCC so I will fit in really well. I feel like the guys on our team at Montana are better than most WCC schools so I feel like we can come in and do some special things.”
At UP, Williams earned a degree in communications with a minor in business. He will graduate in May, making him eligible to play his final year at another school. After earning CIF Division III Player of the Year honors and teaming with Oguine (then a high school junior) to lead Chaminade Prep to the California state title in 2014, Williams spent the following year at Long Beach State.
During his true freshman year at LBS, Williams played in all 32 games, starting five and averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds. He transferred to Pacific to play for Ron Verlin. Williams sat out the 2015-2016 season per NCAA transfer rules while the Tigers found themselves in a cloud of controversy.
In March of 2016, Verlin — the twin brother of 10th-year Idaho head coach Don Verlin, who helped his Vandals hand Montana the first of its two Big Sky losses last season — was fired after CBS Sports reported the NCAA had launched an investigation into his basketball program.
The NCAA placed Pacific on two years probation, fined the school $5,000 and strongly reprimanded Verlin, who remains without a college basketball job. UP hired
Stoudamire, a first-team All-American point guard on Lute Olson’s third of five Final Four teams at Arizona. Stoudamire was the No. 7 pick in the 1995 draft by the expansion Toronto Raptors. The first pick in franchise history averaged 19 points and 9.3 assists per game to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
The man who earned the nickname ‘Mighty Mouse’ because of his tenacious style and 5-foot-10 frame averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists during his 13-year NBA career that included stops in Toronto, Portland, Memphis and San Antonio. He served as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Memphis Tigers along with his alma mater before landing his first head coaching job at Pacific.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sv72p8XAN4
When Verlin was fired, assistant Mike Burns took over on an interim basis. The players, including Williams, advocated for Burns’ retention as the full-time head coach. Burns, the head coach at Eastern Washington from 2004 until 2007, did not get the UP job, instead joining Leon Rice’s staff at Boise State when Jeff Linder left to take the Northern Colorado job.
“Things didn’t work out and they hired Damon,” Williams said. “First year, we didn’t do as well as we wanted. (Stoudamire) got rid of everyone on the team except me and another guy, so we pretty much had to start over. He brought in all his recruits.
“We did better this year (9-9 in WCC, 14-18 overall) but the system we ran, it was all guard-oriented, NBA, playing downhill type system. I came to Pacific, Coach V had a system that was perfect for a stretch 4 and I thought I was going to really thrive. I didn’t do bad but I just wanted to go somewhere where I see more fits me and I can make a bigger impact on a bigger stage. I feel Montana is a good decision for me.”
When Williams first earned his transfer, Burns among others reentered the picture. But DeCuire along with associate head coach Chris Cobb and assistants Rachi Wortham and Jay Flores all flew to Stockton to see Williams less than a week after his transfer eligibility became official.
During the initial meeting, DeCuire showed Williams film, describing to the stretch four how he might fit into UM’s system. Two seasons ago, Williams played 24.1 minutes per game, averaging 8.7 points and shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while chipping in 6.3 rebounds per game off the bench. Last season, Williams started all 32 games, averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. He made 40 3-pointers and shot nearly 34 percent from beyond the arc.
“(Montana) already had a good year and (lone senior) Fab (Krslovic) is graduating at the 4 so it’s an easy spot for me,” Williams said. “I don’t need to do too much. But I do think I can make a big impact on this team. With me there, me, Mike, Bobby (Moorehead), Ahmaad (Rorie), those four, Jamar (Akoh) at the five (all seniors), I think the floor will be really spaced and that’s going to open up the floor for shots.
“I can shoot 3s and the coaches told me last year that they didn’t have someone at my spot to shoot 3s because Fab was more of a mid-range players where I can shoot 3s. They saw me fit where we can space the floor and teams can’t double as much, create opportunities for everyone.”
A few weeks after the Griz coaches returned from Stockton, Williams visited Missoula for the first time. He said his first trip to the Treasure State was “an adjustment at first” but once he spent a few hours in the Garden City, he knew it was “a special place.” He and his parents, who came on the visit with him, attended Montana’s spring football game on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in which almost 6,200 fans attended Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“You see the college atmosphere, how much people care and everyone is super nice,” Williams said. “I come from L.A. and people are a little pushy and in a hurry. In Missoula, I will enjoy going to school there. There’s mountains all around. I’m in Stockton right now and I can’t even see a hill. It’s a lot different. It will be cool, a great change in a different part of the country.”
Williams plans on joining the Grizzlies as soon as possible after he graduates. His addition comes alongside news of another subtraction from the UM roster. Trevor Spoja, the only in-state product currently on Montana’s roster, has elected to forego his final year of eligibility to concentrate on finishing school as first reported by the Missoulian. Spoja is the fifth player to leave the Griz this off-season not counting Krslovic.
The addition of a shooter with size and a high offensive IQ gives Montana the veteran presence it needs to replace Krslovic. Depending on the health of former Washington transfer Donovan Dorsey or the continued progress of sophomore Sayeed Pridgett, Williams could provide the Griz an option to start five seniors. That experienced feel is what Williams wanted for his final year of college hoops.
“The whole process, it was way more schools contacting me than in high school,” Williams said. “It was crazy. My phone would be ringing all day. I would skip calls just because it would get old and super repetitive the things people would say.
“People just want you for your skill but they don’t care about you as a person or off the court. I feel like that’s where the Montana coaches won out. They care about me in all different aspects. They are expecting me to come in and be a good player but the relationship I have with them goes far beyond basketball.”
Photos courtesy of Williams. All Rights Reserved.
