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The Southern Conference lost one of its best players last month when Samford Bulldogs forward Tim Williams asked his release, but it wasn't until Sunday that we learned where the 6-foot-8 Chicago native would be headed. Williams will be taking his talents to the Mountain West Conference and the New Mexico Lobos, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
Williams averaged 17.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while connecting on 60.3 percent of his field goal attempts for Samford this past season, earning him first-team All-SoCon honors from the coaches and a second-team nod from the media. He scored at least 20 points in five of his last six games for the Bulldogs, highlighted by a season-high 32 points on 10-for-11 shooting in a 93-86 win over Western Carolina.
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He would become the first sophomore to join the school's 1,000-point club the next game and leaves in a tie with Tim Donlon (1988-92) for No. 23 all-time with 1,018 career points.
As a freshman, Williams was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year after averaging 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. He finishes his Samford career with averages of 15.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a 57.5 field goal percentage.
Williams and Butler transfer Elijah Brown represent two of seven newcomers to the program, with JUCO transfers Jordan Goodman and J.J. N'Ganga, and incoming freshmen Xavier Adams, Joe Furstinger, and Tohiraukura Smith-Milner comprising the rest of the fresh faces. Coming off a season that saw them finish as the No. 17 team in the AP Top 25, Craig Neal will need these players to step up and fill the void left by Cameron Bairstow and Kendall Williams.
A versatile offensive player, Williams will help fill the void starting in 2015. Until then, Lobos fans can only watch, wait, and regret the fact that they will never see him play alongside Alex Kirk.