Mark Williams (basketball)


Mark Oluwafemi Williams is an American college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was a five-star and four-star recruit and one of the best centers in the 2020 class. He finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

High school career

Williams began his high school basketball career at Norfolk Academy. He was invited to the NBA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2018. Williams passed the 1,000 point threshold in February 2019. As a junior, he averaged 19.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game to help the Bulldogs reach the VISAA state tournament. He was selected to the USA Today All-USA Virginia Boys Basketball second team. During the 2019 Nike EYBL, Williams averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 63.8% from the floor. During the Nike Peach Jam in July 2019, Williams averaged 23.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 76.0 percent in two games for the Boo Williams program. Coming into his senior season, he transferred to IMG Academy, which finished the previous season as the GEICO Nationals champions. Williams was named a 2020 McDonald's All-American. On January 31, 2020, he posted 19 points and 16 rebounds in a 64-62 win over Hillcrest Prep.

Recruiting

Williams was ranked the No. 5 center in the ESPN 100 and No. 30 overall in his class. On November 1, 2019, Williams committed to Duke, choosing the Blue Devils over Michigan and UCLA after taking official visits to all three schools. Williams chose Duke in large part due to the possibility for a national championship, and said he wants to pattern his game after Wendell Carter Jr.

Personal life

Williams' older sister, Elizabeth, played college basketball at Duke from 2011 to 2015 before being selected fourth in the 2015 WNBA draft.