practice. He was very adept at pushing the ball up the court very quickly, loved driving to the hoop, and was a tough defender. | #22 Jimmy 'Bug' Williams |
| 5'10" | 165 lbs | Guard |
| HS: Buffalo East | Buffalo, NY |
| Born: |
| Season | Cl | Pos | G | GS | FG | FGA | % | FT | FTA | % | Asst | Reb | Fls | DQ | TO | ST | BS | Pts | PPG | APG | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-74 | Fr | G | 12 | 1 | 11 | 26 | 42.3% | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 28 | 8 | 16 | 0 | - | - | - | 26 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| 1974-75 | So | G | 30 | 23 | 99 | 228 | 43.4% | 29 | 54 | 53.7% | 101 | 47 | 85 | 7 | - | - | - | 227 | 7.6 | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| 1975-76 | Jr | G | 29 |
29 |
183 |
410 |
44.6% |
77 |
126 |
61.1% |
89 |
42 |
94 |
2 |
119 |
55 |
2 |
443 |
15.3 |
3.1 |
1.4 |
| 1976-77 | Sr | G | 30 |
28 |
186 |
403 |
46.2% |
51 |
91 |
56.0% |
66 |
46 |
72 |
2 |
- |
54 |
- |
423 |
14.1 |
2.2 |
1.5 |
| Career | 101 |
81 |
479 |
1067 |
44.8% |
161 |
277 |
58.1% |
284 |
143 |
267 |
11 |
+119 | +109 | +2 | 1119 |
11.1 |
2.8 |
1.5 |
Jimmy 'Bug' Williams was a speedy point guard for Syracuse basketball for four seasons. Williams was exceptionally quick, and considered one of the fastest basketball players ever at Syracuse University. He was also flamboyant in his style, and was known for wearing dark sunglasses during practice. He was very adept at pushing the ball up the court very quickly, loved driving to the hoop, and was a tough defender.
Williams was an outstanding high school basketball player from Buffalo. He was the 1972-1973 New York State Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 32.1 points per game, and leading his team to an undefeated regular season and winning the Western sectionals.
Williams was part of the first class of freshman player allowed to start at Syracuse University. Though he would not play much his freshman year, he would be the first freshman to start a game, when he replaced an injured Dennis DuVal against Massachusetts on January 26, 1974.
Williams sophomore season would turn into a magical season for the Orangemen. Williams replaced classmate Larry Kelley after seven games, and the Orange offense started to flow as its fast break came into form. Syracuse would make it to the NCAA tournament, and in the second round they faced #9 North Carolina. Williams would have an outstanding game hitting 9 of 11 shots for a total of 19 points as the Orangemen upset the Tar Heels. Syracuse would next face #15 Kansas State. The Orangemen trailed by two as time was running down; Williams brought the ball up court, found Rudy Hackett beneath the basket and fed him the assist for a hook shot to tie the game. Syracuse would go on to win in overtime 95-87, and would go to the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Orange would be outclassed by Kentucky in the Final Four, but the journey there was great!
Williams would lead the team in scoring his junior year, as sophomore guard Ross Kindel assumed some of the play making responsibilities, giving Williams more opportunities to score. He would score a career high 31 points in a win over Penn State on December 19, 1975.
He would be named team co-captain (with Marty Byrnes) his senior year. The Orangemen had a rookie head coach in Jim Boeheim, and two high profile freshman in Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr. Williams would again lead the Orangemen in scoring. Syracuse would beat #7 Louisville that December for one of the school's biggest regular season wins, with Williams hitting the game winning shot with 1:58 to go, and the Orangemen hanging on to win. Williams would later score 30 points against Duquesne in a win. In the NCAA tournament, Williams would help the Orangemen beat highly touted #7 Tennessee in overtime. However, he would struggle to score only 4 points in his next (and last) game against Charlotte, as the Orange ended their tournament run early.
Jimmy Williams brother, Ricky Williams, was a star at Long Beach State, and would play a season with the Utah Jazz.
©RLYoung 2010, 2014