Tag: basketball transfers

KJ Williams one of college basketball’s most impactful transfers so far this season

Williams leads the Tigers in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] went heavy in the transfer portal when he got the LSU job, including several players who were with him at Murray State.

Of those players, perhaps none was expected to be as impactful as [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag]. The defending Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year was a preseason All-SEC selection, and he’s shown why through 14 games.

Williams has been LSU’s most prolific and consistent player this season, leading the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. After his impressive start to the year, CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone named him the No. 3 transfer in all of college basketball to this point in the season.

Stats: 18.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 49.0 3P%, 29.4 PER

Williams is having one of the best and most underrated seasons in college basketball. The Murray State transfer has seamlessly fit right in with his long-time coach, Matt McMahon, who brought him over to the Tigers after leaving Murray State. Williams is averaging the second-most points among all players in the SEC and the sixth-most rebounds on the year for an LSU team that is 12-1 on the year.

Williams has scored more than 20 points on four occasions this season, and he’s notched five double-doubles. He’s been a welcome veteran presence on the inside, and he’s been one of the SEC’s best players.

LSU has impressed to start the season, though it is coming off a close loss on the road against Kentucky. The Tigers hit the road for what should be a less demanding contest against Texas A&M on Saturday to try and get back over .500 in conference play.

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LSU forward KJ Williams named to Coaches All-SEC Preseason Second Team

KJ Williams is the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.

The Tigers have a new-look roster heading into the 2022-23 basketball season, the first under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag]. They’ve certainly reloaded the depleted depth with a number of transfers and incoming freshmen recruits, but one enters the year with especially high expectations.

[autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], a fifth-year transfer from Murray State who followed Matt McMahon to Baton Rouge, was named a member of the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, according to the league coaches. Williams is the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and was a two-time First Team All-OVC selection with the Racers.

He joins LSU expected to be one of the top players in the league. Last season, he averaged 18 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. He notched 27 career double-doubles during his four years at Murray State.

The Tigers begin the 2022-23 campaign and McMahon era on Wednesday night when they host Kansas City in the season opener.

Here’s the full preseason First and Second Team All-SEC selections.

First Team Preseason All-SEC
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
Nick Smith Jr. – Arkansas
Colin Castleton – Florida
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Tolu Smith – Mississippi State
Kobe Brown – Missouri
Santiago Vescovi – Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler – Tennessee

Second Team Preseason All-SEC
Brandon Miller – Alabama
Wendell Green Jr. – Auburn
K.D. Johnson – Auburn
Kario Oquendo – Georgia
KJ Williams – LSU
Matthew Murrell – Ole Miss
Josiah-Jordan James – Tennessee
Henry Coleman III – Texas A&M

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