Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #2 St. Thomas on March 5, 2026 , Loss , 67, to, 80
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FINAL
Men's Basketball
67
vs #2 St. Thomas
80
South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Graham Hodges
#ProJacks: Kai Williams
7/3/2017 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
In part two of a four-part series on South Dakota State Men's Basketball #ProJacks, GoJacks.com dives into Kai Williams' latest campaign, where he rose to All-League status in the British Basketball League with the London Lions this season.
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Kai Williams completed his seventh season of professional ball in early May, and while he admits his athleticism has decreased since wearing the Jackrabbit uniform from 2007-10, his knowledge and understanding of the game has improved dramatically. So much so, in fact, that Williams' 2016-17 season with the London Lions of the British Basketball League ranks among his best at the professional level as he earned spots in the BBL All-British and the Molten BBL All-Defensive teams.
"I think at South Dakota State I was a streaky shooter and an athletic utility-type player," Williams said. "Over the last few years, however, I've really become a better shooter and more cerebral player. The game has slowed down for me, and I'm thinking through the game a lot more. I'm still doing the things that brought me success, but I'm much more of a catch-and-shoot type of player."
That development has come over stops in four different countries, playing in France, Cyprus, Sweden and Britain.
Williams played his rookie season with ADA Blois Basket in the French NM1 league, averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during the 2010-11 season. Though success came on the court, it was the cultural adjustment that took time for Williams to come to terms with.
"That first year in France was the biggest adjustment for me so far," Williams said. "I lived in a really small city with an older population, so a majority of folks were way above my age and hardly anyone spoke English. It was hard to converse with anyone outside the basketball team, so going to stores and just living was the toughest adjustment I've ever done in my life."
After the first year, it was full steam ahead for Williams in his professional career, playing a stint with Cheshire in the BBL (2011-12), spending the 2012-13 season between Apollon Limassol of the Cyprus Division A League and the Worcester Wolves of the BBL.
The 2013-14 season saw Williams start the year with Chesire, but lasted only nine games before joining his brother, Jamal, back in Worcester where the team won a BBL title.
Williams left the United Kingdom in 2014-15 for a season with Umea BSKT in the Sweden-Basketligan league. The Regina, Saskatchewan native recorded career-highs in Sweden, dropping 412 total points (12.9 per game) with 6.2 rebounds per game, 42 total assists and 33 total steals.
Williams returned to the BBL two years ago, rejoining his brother with the London Lions in the capital city, bringing with it another culture change.
"I grew up in a smaller city (Regina's population is 215,000), so to drop into a city with seven million people where it's busy all the time and you travel to practice on the tube (London's version of the subway) with 20,000 people around you all the time was a big adjustment," Williams said.
"Still, London is great in that it's an English-speaking city, but if you walk down the street you hear French, Italian or so many other languages depending where you are. It's a great mix of culture every day," he said.
In his first season wearing the yellow, black and indigo, Williams shot 50 percent from the field, dropping 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest as his team reached the quarterfinals of the BBL Playoffs.
After renewing his contract, Williams put up another solid season while leading his team to the BBL Playoff semifinals, missing out on his second finals appearance by just one game while earning several individual honors.
What's next for Williams, who readily admits the offseason is the worst part of the job, is unknown. After team meetings and conversations about the future with the Lions, Williams will head for a brief vacation with his fiancé in Tenerife, before returning to Canada to coach and work out with his brother while awaiting a call from his agent.
"I'm still not satisfied," Williams said. "People are asking home many years I have left, but this year's a perfect example that as long as I keep on improving, and it's a good situation for myself and my fiancé, I feel like I'm in a good spot to keep playing."
Look for part three of #ProJacks, featuring Deondre Parks, July 7.
--------------------------
Kai Williams completed his seventh season of professional ball in early May, and while he admits his athleticism has decreased since wearing the Jackrabbit uniform from 2007-10, his knowledge and understanding of the game has improved dramatically. So much so, in fact, that Williams' 2016-17 season with the London Lions of the British Basketball League ranks among his best at the professional level as he earned spots in the BBL All-British and the Molten BBL All-Defensive teams.
"I think at South Dakota State I was a streaky shooter and an athletic utility-type player," Williams said. "Over the last few years, however, I've really become a better shooter and more cerebral player. The game has slowed down for me, and I'm thinking through the game a lot more. I'm still doing the things that brought me success, but I'm much more of a catch-and-shoot type of player."
That development has come over stops in four different countries, playing in France, Cyprus, Sweden and Britain.
Williams played his rookie season with ADA Blois Basket in the French NM1 league, averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during the 2010-11 season. Though success came on the court, it was the cultural adjustment that took time for Williams to come to terms with.
"That first year in France was the biggest adjustment for me so far," Williams said. "I lived in a really small city with an older population, so a majority of folks were way above my age and hardly anyone spoke English. It was hard to converse with anyone outside the basketball team, so going to stores and just living was the toughest adjustment I've ever done in my life."
After the first year, it was full steam ahead for Williams in his professional career, playing a stint with Cheshire in the BBL (2011-12), spending the 2012-13 season between Apollon Limassol of the Cyprus Division A League and the Worcester Wolves of the BBL.
The 2013-14 season saw Williams start the year with Chesire, but lasted only nine games before joining his brother, Jamal, back in Worcester where the team won a BBL title.
Williams left the United Kingdom in 2014-15 for a season with Umea BSKT in the Sweden-Basketligan league. The Regina, Saskatchewan native recorded career-highs in Sweden, dropping 412 total points (12.9 per game) with 6.2 rebounds per game, 42 total assists and 33 total steals.
Williams returned to the BBL two years ago, rejoining his brother with the London Lions in the capital city, bringing with it another culture change.
"I grew up in a smaller city (Regina's population is 215,000), so to drop into a city with seven million people where it's busy all the time and you travel to practice on the tube (London's version of the subway) with 20,000 people around you all the time was a big adjustment," Williams said.
"Still, London is great in that it's an English-speaking city, but if you walk down the street you hear French, Italian or so many other languages depending where you are. It's a great mix of culture every day," he said.
In his first season wearing the yellow, black and indigo, Williams shot 50 percent from the field, dropping 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest as his team reached the quarterfinals of the BBL Playoffs.
After renewing his contract, Williams put up another solid season while leading his team to the BBL Playoff semifinals, missing out on his second finals appearance by just one game while earning several individual honors.
What's next for Williams, who readily admits the offseason is the worst part of the job, is unknown. After team meetings and conversations about the future with the Lions, Williams will head for a brief vacation with his fiancé in Tenerife, before returning to Canada to coach and work out with his brother while awaiting a call from his agent.
"I'm still not satisfied," Williams said. "People are asking home many years I have left, but this year's a perfect example that as long as I keep on improving, and it's a good situation for myself and my fiancé, I feel like I'm in a good spot to keep playing."
Look for part three of #ProJacks, featuring Deondre Parks, July 7.
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