On Tuesday, March 12, Amari Williams announced on social media that his time as a Dragon would be coming to an end as he pursues a future in the NBA.
Williams has drawn national attention from professional scouts for multiple seasons now and it is abundantly clear to see why. The 6’10” big man from Nottingham, England is one of the most dynamic defenders in the NCAA, even being ranked as the second best defender in the nation prior to the season.
Williams’ legacy on Market Street will be one that lives on for years to come, no matter what he goes on to accomplish in the rest of his career. When he committed to Drexel in March of 2020, it was the only publicly official offer extended to Williams according to VerbalCommits.com.
As the legend goes, while Coach Zach Spiker was recruiting Mate Okros from Myerscough College in England, the raw but clearly gifted Williams caught his eye. After the game, Spiker approached Williams and inquired about his future college plans. Williams informed Spiker that he had no real options at that point, and the rest is history.
While Williams played sparingly in his first season as a Dragon, his next three seasons would feature the meteoric rise of the big man. After winning the CAA Tournament in 2021 and being a part of Drexel’s March Madness appearance, Williams started his sophomore year playing as the backup center. At the beginning of conference play, starting center James Butler suffered an injury and Amari took control of the starting role and never looked back.
From that moment, Williams started 73 of the next 74 games. He would become the first player in conference history to win back-to-back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards while also earning two All-CAA first team appearances. In the Zach Spiker era of Drexel Basketball, Amari Williams is the centerpiece of some of the brightest moments of Drexel Basketball, whether that be his now famous block to seal the Dragons’ first ever Big 5 victory over Villanova, or any of his many jaw-dropping highlights that helped bring a new energy to the DAC.
Whether Williams ends up in the NBA, G League, overseas, or at a high major college, his legacy as a Dragon will live on forever.