Williams to join UH basketball as walk on

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Ramsey Williams, the Hawai'i high school player of the year in 1997, said he has enrolled at the University of Hawai'i and plans to walk on to the basketball team.

"Playing for UH was something I've thought about for a long time," Williams said. "I've been away for a while and I just wanted to come back home."

Williams, a 6-foot, 165-pound point guard, is a 1998 graduate of Moanalua High. Last season, he averaged 10 points and 6.5 assists per game as the starting point guard at College of the Desert, a junior college in Palm Desert, Calif.

Williams also took classes at Leeward Community College and Missouri Valley College prior to attending College of the Desert. However, last season was his first year of collegiate competition.

"I took a couple years to straighten out my grades," said Williams, 22. "It's all good now. I'm just looking forward to playing D-1 ball."

He recently completed summer classes at College of the Desert that should make him eligible to play for UH this season. Academic officials at UH still need to review his transcripts, so it is not clear how many years of eligibility Williams will have.

Williams was a first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior at Moanalua. He was named the Advertiser's State Player of the Year as a junior in 1997, when he led Moanalua to the state championship.

If he is ruled to be eligible, Williams will be one of at least six walk-ons expected to make the UH roster. Lance Takaki, Ryne Holliday, Gabe Lombard and Dan Pickart are returning walk-ons. Ikaika Alama-Francis, a recent Kalaheo graduate, announced his intent to walk-on with UH in June.

Two of last season's walk-ons will not return: Josh Stanhiser said he will join the men's volleyball team at UH; Keron Wilkerson is no longer a student at UH.

NCAA rules prohibit UH coaches from commenting on potential walk-on players.