Ziaire Williams Season 2020-21

In the News:
Embrace different: Ziaire Williams is at Stanford because he sees the whole court - The Athletic
Stanford may have the best freshman in men's basketball. What's Ziaire Williams' backstory? - SF Gate

As a Freshman (2020-21):

• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention
• Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year top-10 finalist
• Naismith and Wooden Trophy watch lists
• Preseason All-Pac-12 first team
• Naismith Trophy Player of the Week (Jan. 11)
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Dec. 21)
• Appeared in 20 games with 14 starts, averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game
• Ranks eighth all-time at Stanford in points per game by a freshman and sixth in free throw percentage (79.6)
• Posted second triple-double in program history with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Washington (Jan. 7). First triple-double in Stanford history using assists as one of the categories
• Scored a career-best 19 points in Stanford’s opening victory over Alabama in the Maui Invitational (Nov. 30, Asheville, N.C.). Finished in double figures 12 times

Prior to Stanford:

• Highest-rated prospect to choose Stanford in program history. Part of top-rated recruiting class in the Pac-12
• Five-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, ranked fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively, at the national level. Consensus top-two small forward, and the top-rated small forward by Rivals and 247Sports
• McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic, Nike Hoop Summit, Iverson Classic in 2020
• California Wooden Award Open Division High School Player of the Year
• Iverson Classic Kobe Bryant Award co-recipient
• Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year
• Averaged 15.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a senior. Led Sierra Canyon to CIF-SS Open Division title
• Won gold medal at 2019 FIBA World Cup with the United States in Greece
• Starred with Oakland Soldiers on the AAU Circuit
• Chose the Cardinal over USC, Arizona, North Carolina and UCLA 

Quotable: "Ziaire has all of the tools to make an instant impact at Stanford and beyond. He has excellent size, length, and athleticism. He has the unique ability to score on all three levels, and his versatility as a defender is elite. The cool part about this is Zy fits into our culture perfectly. His character, intelligence, and enthusiasm for the direction of this program is exactly what we look for in the recruiting process. I was really excited about the future of the program before Ziaire signed, and he is another piece to the puzzle for us. We are motivated to get to work.” – Jerod Haase