Tarvis Devar Williams (born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He is best known, however, for making the game-winning shot with 6.9 seconds left that propelled 15th-seeded

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

past 2nd-seeded Iowa State, 58–57, in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was only the fourth time since 1985 that a #15 defeated a #2 seed. Williams was also a two-time NCAA season blocks champion in 1998–99 and 2000–01.

Early life

Williams was born in

Maysville, North Carolina Maysville is a town in Jones County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,019 at the 2010 census. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. This town was home to former MLB left fielder Louie Meado ...

. He attended White Oak High School in

Jacksonville, North Carolina Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-largest city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the county seat and most populous commu ...

, where he graduated in 1996.

College

Tarvis Williams played college basketball at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia from 1997–98 to 2000–01. He played in 114 games and averaged 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game for his career. As a sophomore in 1998–99 he led the nation in blocks per game with 5.00. He repeated the achievement two years later as a senior when he averaged 4.59 per game. He was only the second player in NCAA Division I history to lead the country in blocks for two seasons since the statistic became official in 1985–86 (

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

was the first, who accomplished the feat in 1986 and 1987.) For his career, Williams blocked 452 shots, which through the 2021–22 season ranks seventh-most in Division I history. In the 2000 and 2001

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...

(MEAC) Tournaments, Williams was selected to the All-Tournament team and named the MVP in 2001. After his final collegiate season he was selected to play in the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft ( ...

to try and impress NBA scouts, but his sub-par performance resulted in not being chosen in the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, ...

. Williams finished his career at Hampton with 1,754 points and owns school records in every single blocked shot category: single game (12), single season (147), career, season average (4.59 bpg), and career average (3.8 bpg).

Professional

After being passed up by NBA teams, Williams left the United States to play professional basketball. Since his career began in 2001 he has been a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

, playing for 11 different teams in seven countries. His most successful season to date was in 2004–05 while playing for

BK Děčín BK Děčín, for sponsorships reasons named BK Armex Děčín, is a Czech professional basketball club based in the city of Děčín. They play in the Czech National Basketball League – the highest competition in the Czech Republic. History In ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

's National Basketball League. In 37 games, Williams averaged 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He was third in the league in rebounding average while also tops in blocks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tarvis 1978 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American expatriate basketball people in Slovakia American expatriate basketball people in the Czech Republic American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina BC Prievidza players BG Karlsruhe players BK Děčín players Centers (basketball) Fayetteville Patriots players FC Bayern Munich basketball players Hampton Pirates basketball players JSA Bordeaux Basket players KB Prishtina players Mitteldeutscher BC players Olympique Antibes basketball players People from Jones County, North Carolina Power forwards (basketball) Shanghai Sharks players

Early life

College

Professional

See also

References