What transfer guard, NJ native Austin Williams has brought to Rutgers basketball

PISCATAWAY – Before Austin Williams even entered the transfer portal, before he knew which programs would be interested or where he’d ultimately ended up, the guard knew that if Rutgers called, that’s where he wanted to be.

It would be a chance to return home to New Jersey. A chance to play in the Big Ten. A chance to play in front of a packed, raucous home crowd at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Turned out Steve Pikiell and the Scarlet Knights were interested. They brought Williams home.

“It means everything,” Williams said. “Just being back in Jersey, I always wanted to play here when I was younger.”

Williams has been a solid addition to Rutgers’ backcourt, impressing his coach with his performances in games and what he’s shown in practice to earn a spot in the starting lineup for the Scarlet Knights’ win over Indiana on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Williams, a Roseland native and former Seton Hall Prep star, finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals in the 66-57 victory, momentum he’ll look to carry into Sunday’s game against Michigan State (noon, Big Ten Network) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

“My coaches have just been stressing energy, so I’ve been trying to bring energy to my team,” Williams said. “I guess just being healthy. My health is a big part of the reason I wasn’t performing the way I thought I would. I just feel blessed I can perform this way.”

A series of tough breaks

It’s been quite a collegiate journey. Williams started at Marist and then transferred to Hartford as a walk-on, and by his third season there, he was the heart of the program. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while leading the Hawks to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. What nobody knew? He did it in pain, fighting through a left knee injury – a lack of cartilage that left his bones grinding – that would have cut a normal player’s season short.

But Williams put surgery off, put his own needs off for the name on the front of the jersey. Then came the gut-punch news that Hartford was downgrading its program.

“It came out of nowhere,” he recalled. “There was nothing we could do.”

So he transferred to Florida International, sat out while healing, entered the portal and connected with Rutgers through a childhood friend – Scarlet Knights staffer Mike Sasso.

Rutgers was desperate for guard experience after losing expected returnees Cam Spencer and Paul Mulcahy late in the transfer cycle. Williams loved the idea of coming home and playing on a big stage. Scarlet Knights coach Steve Pikiell called Williams’ old coaches at Marist and Hartford and liked what he heard.

“I liked that everyone said he’s a worker,” Pikiell said. “I said to him, ‘I don’t have time to figure you out and you don’t have time to figure me out.’”

Pikiell trusted that Williams could catch up on the fly.

“It was a lot of work to get his knee in the right place,” Pikiell said.

“I’ve been doing daily physical therapy, trying everything I can to get it right and it’s been working lately,” Williams said. “It’s about comfort. Sometimes I can really move and sometimes I can’t.”

He’s moving well enough lately to make an impact.

“Now you see as his body’s healing, he’s really helping us with toughness,” Pikiell said.

The 24-year-old, who is working on a master’s degree in communication with a focus on digital media, has a different perspective than most.

"I’m definitely grateful for being able to play the game, first and foremost," he said. "You’ve got a lot of ups and downs in college basketball. It’s not always going to go the way you want it to, but you’ve got to stay positive and keep grinding.

'Anything's possible'

Transferring to Rutgers offered Williams the chance to play college basketball at the highest level – something else that he refuses to take for granted.

“I came a long way,” Williams said. “It almost makes me want to cry just being here. It’s an unreal opportunity and I’m just so excited to be here.”

Williams has earned himself a significant role with the Scarlet Knights, contributing offensively by driving hard to the basket and being a sparkplug on the defensive end.

“Austin has been playing great and he’s been practicing well,” Pikiell said. “He really has earned the position. You see what he can do rebounding wise and finishing at the rim. Steals and defensively too, you see what he can do against Big Ten competition.”

And when Williams’ teammates and coaches talk about what he brings, one word keeps coming up: Energy.

“He’s a funny guy, everybody loves him,” forward Aundre Hyatt said. “He brings a lot of energy. Even when he wasn’t playing, he was great on the bench, giving us energy and just telling us what we need to do better. Having him healthy has been great.”

Williams has also impressed defensive stalwart Mawot Mag, who’s also coming off a serious knee injury after tearing his ACL last season.

“He’s super energetic,” Mag said. “He’s doing all the little things – he’s getting downhill, playing defense, he’s boxing out. I feel like he’s a great piece of our team and a part of our success. He’s doing a great job and we need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Williams has only played in four Big Ten games so far. The gauntlet is only beginning.

In the early going, at least, Williams has adjusted and he’s made an impact for the Scarlet Knights.

Back home in Jersey, Williams is relishing the opportunity.

“It’s been good,” Williams said. “My teammates, they’ve been the best teammates I’ve had my entire college career. Those guys are great. I love those guys and it’s been great to learn more about them and play with them. It has been an adjustment, as well. But I feel like if I just be myself and stay true to myself, anything’s possible.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers basketball: Austin Williams making impact after transfer