Xeyrius Clifton Williams (born May 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish basketball leag ...

, after short profession stints in Hungary, Greece and Germany. He played college basketball for

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

and University if Akron, both in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States.

Early life and high school career

Williams attended Wayne High School. As a junior, he averaged 11.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.9 percent from the field. Williams averaged 11.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a senior and led Wayne to a Division I state title. He was named co-MVP for the second straight season. Williams committed to

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

in June 2014.

College career

As a freshman at Dayton, Williams averaged 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Williams averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. In the first four games of his junior season, he started and averaged 11.3 points per game. He missed the next five games with a back injury, and posted 16 points against

Saint Mary's St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places: Australia * St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** St Marys railway station, Sydney ** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * St Marys, South Austra ...

in his second game back but never regained his starting role. Williams stopped travelling to away games in February 2018 to focus on academics, and he was ruled out indefinitely with a back injury on February 28. He finished the season averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Following the season, he informed coach Anthony Grant of his intention to transfer. Williams announced he was transferring to Akron on April 24, having also visited

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

. Williams posted a career-high 25 points on December 4, 2019, in an 85-73 win over

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

. On February 8, 2020, Williams hit the game-winning three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining in a 59-58 win over Eastern Michigan. As a senior, Williams averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, shooting 90.8 percent from the free-throw line, 48.0 percent from 2-point range and 29.9 percent from 3-point range. He led Akron to a 24-7 record and the top seed in the conference tournament, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Williams was named to the Third Team All- MAC.

Professional career

On July 25, 2020, Williams signed his first professional deal with

BC Körmend BC Körmend, named Egis Körmend for sponsorship reasons, is a Hungarian professional basketball club, based in Körmend. The club was founded in 1962 and has won the domestic championship three times (1987, 1996, 2003) and the domestic cup seven ...

of the NB I/A. He averaged 8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game. On July 24, 2021, Williams signed with

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jamai ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

. In 24 games, he averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.8 steals, playing around 30 minutes per contest. On July 29, 2022, he signed with

s.Oliver Würzburg s.Oliver Würzburg (formerly known as s.Oliver Baskets) is a German professional basketball club located in Würzburg, Germany. After one year of absence from the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the club has returned to first division German basket ...

of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

. For the 2023–24 season, Williams signed with

SC Rasta Vechta Sports Club Rasta Vechta is a German basketball club based in Vechta, Lower Saxony. The club plays in the ProA, the second tier of professional Basketball in Germany. Founded in 1979, the club spent the majority of its history in the lower-tier ...

. On January 9, 2024, he signed with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of the PLK.

Personal life

Williams is the son of Clifton and Kay Williams. His father played football at

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for te ...

while his mother was an athlete at Catholic Central School in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

before attending the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

. Williams has an older sister, Shatila, and a younger sister, Alisa, both of whom are volleyball players. He was named after Xeryus cologne.

References

External links

Dayton Flyers bioAkron Zips bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Xeyrius 1997 births Living people Akron Zips men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Hungary American men's basketball players Aris B.C. players Basketball players from Ohio Dayton Flyers men's basketball players MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza (basketball) players People from Huber Heights, Ohio Power forwards SC Rasta Vechta players Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio Würzburg Baskets players