To have a temporary impact on a team is one thing, to leave a legacy on an entire program is another. Akeem Williams has left his mark at UMass Lowell.
“He is going to clearly go down as one of the best to ever play here,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette.
In four season wearing the River Hawks blue, the do-it-all 5’ 10” point guard led UMass Lowell in scoring during each of his seasons and became only the fifth player in school history to amass over 2,000 points.
Williams’ milestone 2,000th point came in fitting fashion. Isolated against a Stony Brook guard during a February 15 home game, Williams rocked his defender from right to left with a sharp crossover, stepped back and drained a contested three pointer. The degree of difficulty was a ten, but, like many of the Brockton born guard’s points, it was made to look easy.
“He’s so gifted physically,” said Duquette. “He’s strong, quick, he can shoot the ball and drive to the basket. He’s a complete scorer.”
Williams finished his decorated River Hawks career with 2,057 total points, good enough for third all-time at UMass Lowell. He fell only 42 points shy of Elad Inbar for the school record.
“I never thought I’d get to 2,000 points,” said Williams. “This makes this season even more special.”
Though he takes pride in his individual accomplishments, Williams will remember the friendship of his teammates and the winding path of his four years in Lowell more than anything.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “We’ve had some great success in this program.”
Williams recalls sitting down with his coach prior to the season and hashing out expectations for UMass Lowell’s first America East campaign. Duquette and his senior leader did not talk wins and losses, but instead about implementing a team culture of hard work and constant improvement.
“He [Williams] was really excited to prove himself and show that he could be a great DI player,” said Duquette.
Despite the confidence in his team, Williams could not fully ignore some of the preseason whispers. Two wins? Three wins? After seeing the struggles of many fall UMass Lowell sports teams, Williams remembers that many people were predicting for his team to follow suit.“To say we weren’t out to prove people wrong would be a lie,” he said.
With this chip firmly planted on his shoulder, Williams helped lead the River Hawks to a 10-18 overall record and an 8-8 conference record that few saw coming. Especially after a 1-11 start to the season.
“That was a tough time for our players and probably the most challenging time for myself as a coach,” said Duquette.
Players who had become accustomed to competing for conference titles in the Northeast 10 were forced to hold their own against seven-footers and rosters full of players recruited for DI basketball. The size of opponents and pace of gameplay were big adjustments according to Duquette.
“Losing was hard to get used to,” said Williams.
After a punishing non-conference schedule with matchups against powerhouse programs the likes of Michigan and defending national champion, Louisville, the River Hawks began to gel midway through the season.
“We started to elevate our level of competitiveness and Akeem was a part of that along with Antonio [Bivins] and Chad Holley,” said Duquette.
Behind these veteran leaders, UMass Lowell started to pile up victories and gain confidence. The final game of the season against Maine presented the River Hawks with an opportunity to reach .500 at Costello Athletic Center.
“We really want to win this one for our coach and get to .500,” said Williams before the game. “I think he should be the Coach of the Year for what he’s done with us.”
Williams got his wish as the River Hawks outlasted the Black Bears 84-72. In his final game in an UMass Lowell uniform, Williams tallied a modest (by his standards) 12 points. He, Bivins, Kerry Weldon and Parris Massey were honored on senior night.
Williams does not intend for the victory over Maine to be his final basketball game.
“I’d love to keep playing if I get the opportunity,” he said. “I think I can play professionally, not in the NBA, but overseas.”
Duquette shares the sentiment of his point guard and believes that Williams and Bivins have legitimate chances as international players. However, Williams knows that he will have to raise his game and prove more doubters wrong before reaching this goal.
“Scoring comes naturally to me, but I need to become more of a point guard and leader on the court,” he said.

Williams tries to model his game after some of the short guards in the NBA such as Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson.

“Those guys bring energy to every game and that’s how to try to play,” he said.