Meet Dylan Williams: Penn State Basketball Point Guard

Following the transfers of sophomore point guards Michael Zanoni and Ethan Roberts, the next domino to fall in an unusually aggressive offseason for the Penn men’s basketball team was the acquisition of third-year point guard Dylan Williams.

A transfer from Triton College, a two-year university in Illinois, Williams started every game for the Trojans. Last season, the 5’11” guard led his team in assists and averaged 15 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from three. Williams led his team to an impressive 34-3 record and an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships, earning “Best Small Man” honors during championship weekend.

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Even though Williams fell short of winning the NJCAA Championship, his experience in the JUCO tournament gave him invaluable knowledge he plans to use at Penn: how to win in the postseason.

“What helped (Triton) in the postseason was trusting each other and just bonding,” Williams said. “We did everything outside of basketball together. We knew each other’s secrets, weaknesses and strengths.”

Williams’ journey to the Palestra did not begin in Triton, however.

At Irmo High School in South Carolina, Williams was a multi-sport star, winning the starting quarterback title three times in football and four times in baseball. Williams went so far as to say he was “better at baseball than basketball,” but his love for basketball was too strong.

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While young athletes have recently begun to focus on their primary sport year-round rather than playing multiple sports, Williams rejected the “sport specialization” in our conversation, pointing to the different skills he learned in football and baseball as directly translating to his basketball game.

“Football, especially the quarterback position, helped me with my awareness and agility. I’m aware of different things (because of football). I’m not the biggest player, so kids are chasing me, and I have to be aware so I don’t get hurt. And in baseball — hitting the ball, catching the ball and catching it — helped my hand-eye coordination.”

Despite having success on his high school basketball team, Williams wasn’t on the radar of major D1 programs coming out of high school, a fact he attributed to the pandemic’s impact on recruiting nationwide.

After graduation, Williams continued his basketball education at Mineral Area College in Missouri, another NJCAA college, where he led his team in both points and assists, before transferring to Triton.

Counting his senior year, the Quakers will be Williams’ fourth team in as many years. While Williams has been thrown into new situations many times, he’s been able to find consistency with his style of play. He knows chemistry is key to a team’s success. But when push comes to shove, he feels he can put anyone in a position to score.

“It’s not about who I play with. It’s just about playing basketball.”

Williams cited academic opportunities as a primary reason for choosing Penn over other universities, along with the atmosphere surrounding Penn sports. Williams visited campus for the first time during the Penn Relays, an experience he described as “amazing.”

Additionally, as fellow transfer Zanoni noted to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Williams’ recent success in the Ivy League Conference during the March Madness tournament has piqued his interest in choosing his next college.

“Seeing Princeton beat Arizona and Yale beat Auburn,” Williams said. “That’s very attractive to someone looking at the conference.”

In a statement released by Penn Athletics, head coach Steve Donahue described Williams as a “true playmaker.” Williams fully agreed with his new coach’s nomination, citing his leadership qualities and ability to earn the trust of his teammates. He has already begun building chemistry with Penn transfer class Roberts and Zanoni, posing for practice photos on social media.

One thing becomes clear about Dylan Williams as we learn about his story and his history: his determination.

Nothing was handed to him on a plate. He worked his way through high school and two years at the JUCO level to earn this award, but the work isn’t done yet. He plans to take full advantage of every opportunity he has to play Division 1 basketball at Penn.

“I’ve been chasing (playing D1) for two years now. So to finally be here, I want to make the most of it. I want to win an Ivy League championship. I want to be able to play in March Madness. I want to be able to win the Philly Big Five. I want to win all the accolades that come with it.”