Lucas Williamson (born January 28, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Loyola Ramblers.

Lucas Williamson
No. 12 – Memphis Hustle
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1999-01-28) January 28, 1999 (age 25)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolWhitney Young
(Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeLoyola Chicago (2017–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Ontario Clippers
2023Edmonton Stingers
2023–presentMemphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-MVC (2022)
  • Second-team All-MVC (2021)
  • 2× MVC Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022)
  • 3× MVC All-Defensive Team (2020–2022)
  • MVC tournament MVP (2022)
  • MVC All-Freshman Team (2018)

High school career

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Williamson played basketball for Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois. In his first season, he was the only freshman on the team and won the Class 4A state title alongside Jahlil Okafor.[1] As a senior, Williamson averaged 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, leading his team to another Class 4A state title.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Loyola (Illinois) over offers from UIC and Northern Illinois.[3]

College career

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As a freshman at Loyola, Williamson averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, earning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Freshman and All-Bench Team honors.[4] He helped 11th-seeded Loyola reach the Final Four of the 2018 NCAA tournament.[5] Williamson missed about half of his sophomore season with two hand injuries.[6] He averaged 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. As a junior, he averaged nine points and 3.3 rebounds per game and was an MVC All-Defensive Team selection.[4] In his senior season, Williamson earned Second Team All-MVC honors and was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.[7] He helped Loyola reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 8.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 35.9 percent from three-point range. Following the season, Williamson took advantage of the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] He earned First Team All-MVC honors and was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.[9]

Professional career

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Ontario Clippers (2022–2023)

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On June 24, 2022, Williamson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[10] On October 4, 2022, Williamson (along with Juwan Morgan and Michael Devoe) was waived by the Clippers.[11]

On October 24, 2022, Williamson joined the Ontario Clippers training camp roster.[12]

Edmonton Stingers (2023)

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On March 15, 2023, Williamson signed with the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[13]

Memphis Hustle (2023–present)

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On October 30, 2023, Williamson joined the Memphis Hustle.[14]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Loyola 38 5 20.2 .435 .415 .704 2.2 1.0 .8 .3 4.7
2018–19 Loyola 16 15 29.9 .480 .413 .600 5.9 1.7 1.6 .3 8.8
2019–20 Loyola 32 32 30.2 .448 .333 .692 3.3 1.7 1.5 .3 9.0
2020–21 Loyola 31 31 28.0 .435 .359 .778 3.9 2.1 1.4 .2 8.8
2021–22 Loyola 33 33 32.0 .442 .390 .728 5.0 3.1 1.4 .3 13.7
Career 150 116 27.6 .445 .377 .713 3.8 1.9 1.3 .3 8.9

Personal life

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Williamson served as the narrator and co-writer for The Loyola Project, a 2022 documentary film that details Loyola's 1963 men's basketball team and their journey in breaking down racial barriers en route to winning a national championship.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Schnable, Abby (February 27, 2019). "'More Than an Athlete:' How Lucas Williamson Found His Voice". Loyola Phoenix. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Ryan, Shannon (March 20, 2018). "Freshman spark plug Lucas Williamson: 'I could tell big things were in Loyola's future'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Helfgot, Mike (April 17, 2017). "Young's Lucas Williamson chooses Loyola for basketball". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Lucas Williamson – Men's Basketball". Loyola University Chicago Athletics. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Bembry, Jerry (March 31, 2018). "For Loyola's Donte Ingram and Lucas Williamson, there's no place like home". Andscape. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Smith, Daniel P. "Lucas Williamson is a leader on and off the basketball court". Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Hajduk, Gabby (March 22, 2021). "Dosunmu faces friend, former rival Lucas Williamson in showdown with Loyola Chicago". The Daily Illini. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Ryan, Shannon (April 23, 2021). "Lucas Williamson is 1 of 4 Loyola seniors to announce his return for an extra season of eligibility — a boost for new coach Drew Valentine". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "AJ Green of UNI Headlines 2022 MVC MBB All-Conference Teams" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Lucas Williamson Signs With Los Angeles Clippers". Loyola University Chicago Athletics. June 24, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Clippers re-sign Malik Fitts, add Nate Darling, release three others". Clips Nation. October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Ontario Clippers Announce Training Camp Roster for 2022-23 NBA G League Season". oursportscentral.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Stingers Sign Lucas Williamson". CEBL.com. March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ^ "Memphis Hustle announce 2023-24 training camp roster". NBA.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Ryan, Shannon (February 14, 2021). "Loyola's Lucas Williamson is narrator and co-writer of a documentary about the Ramblers' 1963 title team: 'This is a story about history. But that history is still relevant.'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
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