FSU sports information:
Florida State Women’s Basketball Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff has secured another impact transfer this offseason, signing 6-foot-4 versatile forward Malea Williams from the University of Cincinnati.
Willams will be using her COVID-19 bonus year as she enters her fifth season of college basketball, playing her previous three seasons at Cincinnati and her freshman year at Louisville.
“We are thrilled to have Malea join our team next season,” Wyckoff said. “Malea brings a contagious energy and passion to everything she does and is such an enjoyable person to be around. Her energy, experience at the college level, size and skill set will enhance our roster on both ends of the floor, making us bigger and more versatile. I am really looking forward to coaching her and I know our fans will love watching her play.”
Williams adds some highly sought-after size for the Seminoles, but is consistent from 3-point range and excels on the boards. Last year, Williams finished second on the Bearcats with 35 made 3-point field goals but led her team shooting 36.8 percent from downtown. She averaged 8.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and went 41.1 percent (102-of-248) from the floor overall while also leading the team with 34 blocked shots.
Next season, Williams could form a strong tandem with All-ACC First Team forward Makayla Timpson. Her presence gives depth to FSU’s size with Avery Treadwell and Mariana Valenzuela back as well.
In her collegiate career, Williams has surpassed 100 blocked shots. She had a pair of career-best 18-point performances last season vs. quality Big 12 opponents in Oklahoma and Iowa State, and had the game-winning steal and score with two seconds left in a 58-56 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 24.
Williams is from Georgetown, Ky., and brings her game to the South for the first time in her career. She has a chance to thrive along a host of playmakers that return to FSU in 2024-25, including one of the nation’s best players in guard Ta’Niya Latson and O’Mariah Gordon. FSU’s offense, which has led the ACC in scoring during the regular season in each of the past two seasons, gives Williams the chance to put her skill sets on full display.
Williams, who attended Scott County High School and averaged nearly 20 points her senior year, joins Gulf Coast State College’s Raiane Dias Dos Santos among FSU’s offseason transfers so far. Dias Dos Santos also brings a versatile skill set to the Seminoles for next year at the guard position.
In her junior season at Cincinnati in 2022-23, Williams established a program record with seven blocked shots at Wichita State, and led the team in blocks in 14 games – including 10 games with multiple blocked shots.
The Seminoles are one of just eight current programs that has made each of the last 11 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournaments, and have enjoyed an impressive stretch of 18 tournament appearances in the last 19 seasons.
FSU has also ranked in the Top 10 nationally in combined scoring average over the last two seasons, averaging 78.9 points in a highly entertaining pace and space offense.
