Pirate Preview: Mike Williams

Published: Friday, October 31, 2025

by Ross Vocaturo

Among the multiple guards brought to South Orange this summer was Mike Williams, a 6’3” guard who spent his first two collegiate seasons at LSU. Williams, originally hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, played in 24 games last season for the Tigers, averaging 4.0 points, 0.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds across 24 games off the bench. 

His freshman season in the Bayou state was more highly regarded, starting in 22 of the Tigers’ 33 games during the season while averaging seven points per game.  

Despite his fall in the rotation, Williams was still able to piece together some notable performances off the bench last season, including two games in double figures, one of which came against the eventual national champion-Florida Gators (albeit in a losing effort). His season-high in a game came in an 81-67 win against South Carolina, where Williams went 3/4 from behind the arc en route to a 13-point game. 

Prior to his stint in Baton Rouge, Williams was a four-star prospect in the class of 2024 at the Bishop Walsh School in Maryland. He was ranked as high as 96th in the country according to 247 Sports, and 3rd in the state of Maryland, according to Prep Hoops. Williams landed in LSU despite receiving offers from numerous other programs, including DePaul, Syracuse, Clemson, Wake Forest, and more. 

Williams is one of nine incoming transfers to the Pirates this upcoming season, with most being guards. Considering the drop off in his stats across the board last season, he’s expected to be a second-rotation piece barring unforeseen circumstances moving forward.

With the unknown that comes with Shaheen Holloway’s nearly-entirely revamped roster, Williams could find himself as the beneficiary of a guard-carousel from time to time. 

With the nightmarish turnout of last season, Coach Holloway and company see the sky being the limit compared to their 7-25 finish last season (2-18 in conference play). Holloway has already made his lack of attention toward pre-season rankings known, despite the Pirates being ranked toward the bottom in almost every BIG EAST preseason poll.  

The Pirates are looking to embrace a Cinderella-like story and reemerge onto the scene this year, and Mike Williams could be looked upon as an X-factor down the stretch for it to come into fruition. Williams and the Pirates kick off the season on Monday, November 3rd when they host Saint Peter’s at Walsh Gymnasium.

Ross Vocaturo can be reached at ross.vocaturo@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: sports,