Grand Canyon guard Makaih Williams doesn’t expect warm reception at UT Arlington

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When Grand Canyon plays at UT Arlington on Saturday, sophomore point guard Makaih Williams doesn’t expect to hear a lot of cheers. He might even get greeted by boos.

But that’s OK. He’s on the other team now, the team that beat UT Arlington in Las Vegas last year when Williams was the WAC Freshman Player of the Year at UTA. The Lopes kept them from reaching the NCAA Tournament by beating them in the conference tournament championship game.

“I don’t (expect a warm reception),” Williams said. “But I’m happy for those guys and their success.”

He said there’s no bad blood with UTA and he remains friends with some of his former teammates who still are there, such as Kade Douglas and Brandyn Talbot. “Those are my guys,” Williams said.

“I’m just ready to go out there and compete,” he said.

GCU Lopes guard Makaih Williams (2) drives in to the lane against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix on Jan. 4, 2025.

UT Arlington (11-13, 4-6) was 12-12 last year at this time, before making a run in the WAC and getting all the way to the conference final, before losing to GCU 89-74 at Orleans Arena, finishing 20-14. Tempers flared at the end of the game.

At the time, the last team Williams could have ever seen himself joining was GCU.

But he put his name in the transfer portal and Grand Canyon pursued him, knowing what a menace he was against them last year with his defense, toughness and ability to knock down 3s.

Williams ended up joining the team that denied him his NCAA Tournament dream.

“I love it here. I was just talking to everybody yesterday about how happy and grateful that I’m here,” Williams said of his decision.

“I’m happy we’re going to a new conference (the Mountain West) next year. I’m just happy about the whole situation. I’m blessed to be in this position.”

Williams is focusing on Thursday night’s game at Tarleton State (10-15, 5-5) and getting rid of the bad feeling left from Saturday’s 85-71 loss at California Baptist that ended a six-game winning…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/grand-canyon-guard-makaih-williams-194308601.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2025-02-12 19:43:00

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