Williams named to NJCAA Division I All-America Teams

Hanceville, AL — Jimmie Williams, the freshman guard for the Wallace State Community College men’s basketball team, has been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division I All-America Teams, earning a place as a Third-Team All-American.

“Jimmie had one of the best seasons for a Wallace State basketball player in recent memory,” said head coach Allen Sharpe. “He was one of the leaders in all the NJCAA in points scored and led our team to a conference tournament championship and a sweet 16 appearance at the NJCAA national tournament. Jimmie not only is an outstanding individual player, but he is also and great teammate and an outstanding young man.”

The Cleveland, Ohio native becomes the sixth Wallace State athlete to make the NJCAA All-America Teams lists for basketball. Current assistant coach Cory Cooperwood was the first WSCC baller to earn first-team honors in 2007 and netted a repeat award in 2008. Demarkus Lampley and L.A. Farmer received first-team All-America honors in 2019 and 2010, respectively. Jeremey McKay earned Third-Team All American in 2012. Javaon Borum (2008) and Ronald Jackson (1975) were named to Honorable Mention teams.

Williams ended the season with 786 points, placing him third in the nation for overall points in the division. He also finished third in the nation for field goal percentage (288-537). He finished 13th in the nation for points per game, with 22.5; 17th in assists (174), 21st in free throws (145-195), and 23rd in the nation for total rebounds (291).

Williams earned a placed on the NJCAA Division I All-Tournament Team at the NJCAA DI Men’s Basketball Championships in Hutchinson, Kan., where the Lions (26-9) ended their season in the second round. He scored 24 points in two games, pulled down 18 rebounds and had 12 assists.

Those games followed the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) championship, where Williams scored 101 points in three games – 48 in the tournament opener - to lead the Lions to the ACCC title and the team’s first trip to the national tournament in 10 years. He was named tournament MVP, while fellow teammates PJ Eason of Dadeville, Arthur Johnson of Carrolton, Ga., and Kelvin Turner of Cincinnati, Ohio, earned All-Tournament awards.

Another Wallace State basketball player appearing on the national leaderboards is Eason, a sophomore center, who is ranked 16th in the nation for blocks (70), 17th for total rebounds (306), 36th for field goal percentage (60.9), and 40th for rebounds per game (8.7). Kendarius Anderson, a freshman guard from Tuscumbia, is ranked 43rd in three-point percentage (42.7).