Mikey Williams’s life appears to have finally found stability after a rollercoaster of emotions last year. On April 13th, 2023, he was arrested on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The situation stemmed from an altercation that occurred at his California residence in which he allegedly discharged a firearm at five people as they were leaving his home. Seven days later, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and so began the fight for his freedom. If convicted, Williams was facing up to 20 years in prison and ultimately, the loss of his basketball career.
A few months later on November 30th, he pleaded guilty to one charge and avoided jail time. He was forced to complete gun safety and anger management courses ordered by Judge Sherry M. Thompson. The ramifications of the case affected his standing at the University of Memphis and he decided to enter the transfer portal. The University of Central Florida would be his destination and where he will begin his new chapter as a Knight.
Williams comes in as a redshirt freshman and will have to focus on getting minutes before anything else. Unlike other popular freshmen, he will not be a ‘one & done’ and declare for the NBA draft. He will have to gain the respect of NBA scouts as some are skeptical about his performance at the collegiate level. Before his arrest happened in April, he had an underwhelming senior year for the Ysidro Cougars averaging 23.8 PPG and 9.2 APG. This could’ve been caused by his distractions off the court from the wealth he's accumulated from his NIL deals.
As the 2024-25 school year is set to begin, He joins a roster that went 17-16 in the BIG-12 last season and he is playing behind some great talent. Junior point guard Darius Johnson averaged 15.2 PPG and 3.7 assists. He became the starting point guard last season and had the best year of his career. His backcourt mate, Jaylin Sellers, also averaged 15.9 PPG as the starting shooting guard. Both lead the team in scoring and will remain in the starting lineup.
It will be interesting to see how Head Coach Johnny Dawkins utilizes Williams since the team is loaded with guards. He will have to prove he can make an impact right away with the few minutes he will receive. He is still very talented, but now we will see how he compares to a wider pool of competition. The BIG-12 consists of the Kansas Jayhawks, Baylor Bears, Arizona Wildcats, and Cincinnati Bearcats. All four teams make a yearly appearance in the March Madness tournament and possess stellar talent at the guard position.
He will experience a level of competition he has never faced before. There’s no guarantee Coach Dawkins will put him in the rotation, but the moment he does check-in, it will be a viral moment. Fans still have a desire to see Williams play and his road to redemption will be one of the biggest stories in college basketball this year. The world will be a witness to his triumph or failure and only time will tell what the outcome will be.
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