With a modest air of confidence and choir-boy looks, Ryan Williams [1995-97] didn’t intimidate opponents – until the ball went into the air. The dominating inside presence on back-to-back NCAA Tournament clubs, Williams left his mark as one of the most dependable scorers and rebounders in Seawolf basketball history.
After starring at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, and then Ricks College in Idaho, the 6-8, 235-pound forward was thrust into a go-to role with a 1995-96 Seawolf team that returned no starters and only two letterwinners from the previous season.
Teaming with fellow junior and future Seawolf Hall of Fame point guard Rick Stafford (’08), Williams flourished, averaging 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and earning Pacific West Conference Player of the Year and honorable mention All-America honors.
That year’s team went 19-9 and tied for the Pac West title before losing an overtime heartbreaker to Grand Canyon in the NCAAs.
As a senior, Williams was again a starter in all 28 games, shooting 61 percent from the field and averaging 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds, while committing just one turnover per game. UAA repeated as Pac West champs – this time outright – and earned another playoff berth.
Also a two-time CoSIDA All-West Region selection, Williams still ranks No. 5 all-time in field-goal percentage (.590) at UAA, and he is one of just seven two-year players to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Williams earned his finance degree from UAA in 1997 and went on to earn his MBA at Cal State University. He is currently Vice President for Human Resources with Franke Consumer Products in Ruston, La., where he lives with his wife Serena and four children.
