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Kendall Williams may come off as cocky and arrogant, even on the basketball court.
To some, it may seem the junior Lobo guard might be overconfident, but in reality, Williams is showing off his insatiable hunger to win.
“The hardest thing about coaching Kendall was that he wanted to win more than anybody else that I’ve ever coached,” said David Smith, who was Williams’ high school coach at Los Osos High School. “Because of that, some people would look at that like he’s cocky or arrogant or moody. It’s just his desire to win, and his desire is whatever it takes for his team to win.”
Williams’ drive has helped propel UNM to a 23-4, 10-2 Mountain West Conference record and put the Lobos on the precipice of another Mountain West regular-season championship. On Saturday, Williams scored a career-high 46 points against Colorado State in a 91-82 victory.
The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native said his desire to be a champion started at a young age.
“I think it’s been with me all of my life. I’ve always had a passion for sport,” he said. “My pops (Robert Williams) has always taught me to stay positive and show a good attitude. Being unselfish is a key part in leadership, and as long as the team gets the win, that’s what makes us the happiest.”
Of course, being a leader comes with responsibility, and Williams has made his fair share of minor mistakes on and off the court. Williams was late to a game against South Dakota State at The Pit on Dec. 22, a game the Lobos lost 70-65. It is the Lobos’ only home loss of the season.
Two weeks later, Williams was late to another team function and was benched against Fresno State on Jan. 12. Without Williams, the Lobos demolished the Bulldogs 72-45.
“Sometimes you just need some wake-up calls. There was no school going on and there were some events that I was late to,” he said. “You don’t want to be known for being punctually late all the time. Coach Alford has always been good at proving his points but not being that stern.”
Smith said Williams’ tardiness is the only problem he’s ever had with him.
“For the most part, he was a joy to coach, but there were a couple of times that he drove me crazy. Coach Alford has the same problem, whether Kendall was oversleeping or being late,” Smith said. “That’s the biggest knock I can have. If that’s the only knock there is, that’s pretty mild compared to other players.”
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Williams committed to UCLA before the beginning of his sophomore season in high school. But the relationship between Williams and Bruins head coach Ben Howland soured, as UCLA pursued other class-of-2010 point guards. The Bruins felt Williams wasn’t mature enough. During his senior year at Los Osos, Williams reversed his commitment to the Bruins and almost didn’t play Division I college basketball at all, but UNM started to recruit Williams and secured a commitment from the guard in March 2010.
“I was just lucky that this staff had faith in my abilities. I was fresh off a season senior that I didn’t think I was going to go to college to play basketball,” Williams said. “To go to a program like this after that situation was a real blessing.”
Smith, who is good friends with one of UCLA’s assistant coaches, said he knows UCLA regrets not signing Williams to a scholarship.
“I really believe that coach Alford and New Mexico, without any question, are a better fit for Kendall in the long run,” Smith said. “I think that coach Alford was the right guy to make Kendall better. I think it was a win-win for Kendall and New Mexico.”
Before Williams’ junior year at Los Osos, Smith was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Smith is now cancer-free and in good health, but Williams said the experience changed his perspective about life.
“You don’t want something like that to open up your eyes, but it happened. When we got the news of it, the fellas then and the family there really came together and played for him,” Williams said. “He showed that no matter what happens, just stay strong. It really opened my eyes because of everything he preached.”
