If Eric Williams Jr. seems to elevate just a little more on his jump shots this winter – if he soars higher for rebounds, and is a step quicker on defense – know that the UO men's basketball senior is carrying a little less weight on his shoulders these days.
Williams, a native of Port Huron, Mich., will take the floor for the Ducks during the upcoming season with his undergraduate degree in hand. The Oregon men held their first practice of the season Monday, and Williams took the floor as a graduate of the university in general social sciences.
Upon finishing his last class toward the degree on Sept. 12, Williams called his mother. News would spread quickly without more calls to other family members, he knew. His mother's pride in his accomplishment would take care of that.
"I didn't really have to do it – she spread the word for me," Williams recalled.
A 21-game starter last season, Williams averaged 10 points per game in helping the Ducks repeat as Pac-12 champions. He also averaged six rebounds per game, ranking 11th in the conference as Oregon reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
As impressive as that effort was, Williams doubled down over the summer. To complete his degree prior to this season, Williams completed 24 credits – eight in each of the university's three four-week summer sessions. The load included two math classes required for his degree.
"I'm extremely proud of him for persevering and doing all that work," said Steve Stolp, executive director of the athletic department's John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student-Athletes. "It was a monumental lift."
Williams enrolled at Oregon in 2019 as a transfer from Duquesne, where he was in a program called integrated marketing communication. He switched to general social science at Oregon, where the overlap of journalism and business courses would have been trickier to balance.
A typical day this summer saw Williams arrive early in the morning at the Jaqua Center for study sessions with learning specialist Blake Postma. Then it was off to class in the early afternoon, followed by more studying later in the day.
Sometimes, Williams had to miss open gym sessions with the handful of teammates who stayed in Eugene for the summer, or make up workouts with UO strength coach Evan VanBecelaere during off hours that didn't conflict with his studies. But UO coach Dana Altman was clear about where Williams' priorities should be.
"Coach would be like, 'You have to go there first before you do anything here, '" Williams said. "It was very important to coach."
Williams said most members of his family didn't have the chance to attend college, making his graduation "icing on the cake" for the Williams clan. He hopes to go into coaching eventually, and knows his degree will open doors that otherwise might have been closed to him.
And, Williams said, "If anything fails, if I can't do basketball, there's somewhere I can work. I know there's somewhere I can work."
First, he can look ahead to his senior season with the Ducks. He'll need to pass six credits of postgraduate course work this fall to remain eligible for this season, but his undergraduate degree is in hand.
Williams knows that will pay dividends later in his life. He hopes having that responsibility wrapped up will help him during the upcoming season as well, allowing him to devote more time to keeping his body fresh through the rigors of the season.
"I think it'll help me, not having too much pressure from school," Williams said. "Staying consistent the whole year, from game one to March Madness."
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October 06, 2021 at 05:56AM
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Williams Opens Senior Season With Undergraduate Degree In Hand - GoDucks.com
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