Xeyrius Clifton Williams (born May 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for

Tycoon A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

of the

Hong Kong A1 Division Championship Hong Kong A1 Division Championship (), abbreviated as HKA1 and A1 Division, is the top division of men's basketball league in Hong Kong. The league was founded in 1954 and the inaugural season was held the same year. Currently, ten teams make up ...

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

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

and University if Akron, both in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, 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 a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

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 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 Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

on April 24, having also visited

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, ...

. 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 ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

. On February 8, 2020, Williams hit the game-winning three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining in a 59–58 win over

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

. 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 Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

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 Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

. 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, legally ''s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG'', is a German fashion company headquartered in Rottendorf that sells apparel, shoes, accessories, jewellery, fragrances and eyewear worldwide. History The company was founded in 1969 ...

of the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

. 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 Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), following their promotion from the ProA in 2022–23. Founded in 1979, the club has spent the majority of its ...

. 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, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-y ...

while his mother was an athlete at Catholic Central School in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

before attending the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

. 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 expatriate basketball people in Hong Kong 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 FC Porto basketball players Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio Würzburg Baskets players 21st-century American sportsmen