Darrion Williams signs to play at Tech after playing freshman season at Nevada

Provided by Texas Tech Athletics

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland has announced the signing of transfer Darrion Williams who was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season after earning Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior year of high school. Williams averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game as a freshman last season at Nevada where he was listed as a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward.

“Darrion is the ultimate teammate,” McCasland said. “He played in the NCAA Tournament and can help his team win in a lot of different ways. He can score, shoot, pass, and rebound at a very high level. He is a winner.”

A Sacramento, California native, Williams played his final two seasons of high school basketball at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, Nevada where he was the Southern 5A Co-Player of the Year to go along with being named the state’s player of the year. At Nevada, Williams led the team in rebounding and finished his freshman season with 11 games in double-figure scoring and with 10 double-figure rebounding performances. He had his only double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds against New Mexico. In the NCAA Tournament, Williams had 12 points and five rebounds in a loss to Arizona State. He produced a career-high four 3-pointers in that game, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Williams started 30 of 33 games for the Wolf Pack and averaged over 30 minutes per game. He finished the season shooting 36-for-99 (36.4 percent) on 3-pointers and pulled down 1.2 offensive rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 16 points in a game against Fresno State where he was 4-for-5 from the field, 2-of-2 on 3-pointers and 6-for-7 at the free-throw line. Williams finished the season with 90 assists, including a season-high seven against Air Force and had 17 games with three or more assists.

He was the first-ever Nevada player to be named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in a season where he was a six-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week selection. His 7.3 rebounds per game ranked third in the Mountain West Conference.

Williams entered college as a four-star recruit by ESPN after averaging 15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.0 steals per game at Bishop Gorman. His team advanced to the NIAA 5A title game and was ranked as high as fourth nationally during the season. Before transferring, Williams played two varsity seasons at Capital Christian in his hometown of Sacramento. He averaged 11.2 and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore.

The Athletic had Williams as the 14th best available transfer while ESPN put him at No. 43 on its 2023-24 transfer list.

“Darrion is the ultimate teammate,” McCasland said. “He played in the NCAA Tournament and can help his team win in a lot of different ways. He can score, shoot, pass, and rebound at a very high level. He is a winner.”

A Sacramento, California native, Williams played his final two seasons of high school basketball at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas, Nevada where he was the Southern 5A Co-Player of the Year to go along with being named the state’s player of the year. At Nevada, Williams led the team in rebounding and finished his freshman season with 11 games in double-figure scoring and with 10 double-figure rebounding performances. He had his only double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds against New Mexico. In the NCAA Tournament, Williams had 12 points and five rebounds in a loss to Arizona State. He produced a career-high four 3-pointers in that game, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Williams started 30 of 33 games for the Wolf Pack and averaged over 30 minutes per game. He finished the season shooting 36-for-99 (36.4 percent) on 3-pointers and pulled down 1.2 offensive rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 16 points in a game against Fresno State where he was 4-for-5 from the field, 2-of-2 on 3-pointers and 6-for-7 at the free-throw line. Williams finished the season with 90 assists, including a season-high seven against Air Force and had 17 games with three or more assists.

He was the first-ever Nevada player to be named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in a season where he was a six-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week selection. His 7.3 rebounds per game ranked third in the Mountain West Conference.

Williams entered college as a four-star recruit by ESPN after averaging 15.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.0 steals per game at Bishop Gorman. His team advanced to the NIAA 5A title game and was ranked as high as fourth nationally during the season. Before transferring, Williams played two varsity seasons at Capital Christian in his hometown of Sacramento. He averaged 11.2 and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore.

The Athletic had Williams as the 14th best available transfer while ESPN put him at No. 43 on its 2023-24 transfer list.

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