The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Lee, Williams Win Conference USA Individual Awards
3/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
IRVING, Texas – The UAB men’s basketball team continued its string of postseason awards Tuesday when William Lee was dubbed the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and Dirk Williams earned Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year accolades, it was announced by the league office.
Lee becomes the third Blazer in school history to be selected as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, joining Squeaky Johnson in 2006 and Cameron Moore in 2012.
A native of Plantersville, Alabama, Lee ended the regular season with 94 blocked shots to lead Conference USA and ranks fifth in the NCAA with 3.0 per game. In addition, Lee swatted the third-most shots in the country this season and tallied the second-most in school history.
Lee registered at least one blocked shot in every game this season and turned in 11 games with four or more, including a career-high eight Feb. 6 in a win over Florida Atlantic. His most influential rejection of the season came Saturday in a victory at Florida Atlantic, as he turned away a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds to help UAB hold on and set a single-season school record with its 26th win.
“HaHa has had so many defining moments on both ends of the floor in close games so far this season,” UAB head coach Jerod Haase said. “He is an elite shot blocker and one of the few players in college basketball who can dominate a game with his ability to block and change shots.”
Williams made an immediate impact in his debut season with the Blazers, finishing the regular season with an average of 9.5 points per game to go along with a .386 three-point field goal percentage. The Homewood, Alabama, native was even better in league games, shooting 44.1 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 10.7 points per game against conference foes.
Williams saved his best performances for the most important stretch of the season, as he led the Blazers in scoring with 19 points in consecutive games against Middle Tennessee (Feb. 21) and Marshall (Feb. 25) to give UAB a commanding lead in the Conference USA standings. He shot a combined 86.7 percent (13-for-15) from the field and 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from three-point range over the two games, which included a trey from the corner in the final seconds against Marshall to propel UAB to a four-point victory.
The second consecutive C-USA Sixth Man of the Year award winner for UAB (Chris Cokley), Williams helped the Blazers to a perfect 14-0 record this season when he scored in double figures.
“Dirk has really blossomed as a player, person and student as the year has progressed,” Haase said. “He is an extremely gifted player who possesses a skill set and athleticism that make him a force for us on the wing. He impacts the game with his ability to shoot the 3, play in transition and rebound.”
Williams and Lee will join the rest of the Blazers on Thursday at noon in a Conference USA Tournament quarterfinal game from Legacy Arena.
The Conference USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men’s tournament, as well as the women’s semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women’s first-round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB’s Bartow Arena.
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