DePaul University Athletics
HOF Inductee Lance Williams Came to Play, Left with a Family
1/29/2019 1:25:00 PM | ATHLETICS, MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - College is known to be the best four years of one's life – often times enhanced by being able to play a sport. For Lance Williams, being a DePaul Blue Demon gave him just that.
Williams is next up on the list to join his fellow teammates in the hallowed Athletics Hall of Fame at DePaul. Along with Quentin Richardson and Bobby Simmons, the three were able to revamp and rejuvenate the DePaul basketball program in 1998.
In those four years, Williams made his own mark on the record books quickly as he helped lead his team to the second round of the NIT tournament his freshman year. He is the 34th highest all-time scorer with 1,170 points and sits 20th in all-time rebounds with 678.
The three standouts are still like brothers to this day, as DePaul helped Williams find his own family and support system.
He chose DePaul not only because of his future teammates, but also being so close to home.
"The main thing about DePaul was me staying at home," he said. "That was the most amazing thing. Anyone from Chicago should stay home. I'm a Chicagoan at heart. My mom was sick; I'm a momma's boy and I wanted to stay home so she could see me play. Everything worked out perfect."
The Julian All-City product broke his foot his sophomore year but came back stronger than ever thanks to his "brothers."
"When I broke my foot, I felt like I let my team down, my family down," Williams said. "It was like my family and my brothers are counting on me and I'm sitting here with a broken foot. But there was support from Q and Bobby and they said they were going to make it happen. It was a brotherhood.
"Basically, it gave me a family and friendship you could never replace. It gave me everything. It gave me a chance to travel if and an education."
Another one of his brothers – Andre Brown – is also in the 2019 Hall of Fame Class. Williams has a special relationship with Brown, as he was part of the reason Brown came here.
"[Getting inducted together] is big because actually, Andre was a year younger and I was hard on him," Williams said. "I told him 'You have to come here,' but everyone started looking at me like, 'What?!' because he and I play the same position."
Williams knew what Brown could bring to the program – both obviously making a Hall of Fame worthy impact on the Blue Demons. Even after their time in Lincoln Park, they met up and played professionally for a year together in Turkey.
Ultimately, getting to see his name listed among his teammates is something Williams could once only imagine – except now, it's reality.
"It's amazing," Williams said. "When Jeanne (Athletics Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto) called me, I got on the phone and she said, 'Lance, it's your time.' I said, 'Hello? Jeanne?' and started laughing. It's just such a blessing."
Playing at DePaul and gaining a family is a familiar experience for many student athletes, including those like Williams.
"The family atmosphere is amazing," he said. "At the end of the day, no matter what – you're still a Blue Demon. It opened doors for me and it's like I never left when I come back. I don't think if I would've gone to any other university that I would have found that."
Williams is next up on the list to join his fellow teammates in the hallowed Athletics Hall of Fame at DePaul. Along with Quentin Richardson and Bobby Simmons, the three were able to revamp and rejuvenate the DePaul basketball program in 1998.
In those four years, Williams made his own mark on the record books quickly as he helped lead his team to the second round of the NIT tournament his freshman year. He is the 34th highest all-time scorer with 1,170 points and sits 20th in all-time rebounds with 678.
The three standouts are still like brothers to this day, as DePaul helped Williams find his own family and support system.
He chose DePaul not only because of his future teammates, but also being so close to home.
"The main thing about DePaul was me staying at home," he said. "That was the most amazing thing. Anyone from Chicago should stay home. I'm a Chicagoan at heart. My mom was sick; I'm a momma's boy and I wanted to stay home so she could see me play. Everything worked out perfect."
The Julian All-City product broke his foot his sophomore year but came back stronger than ever thanks to his "brothers."
"When I broke my foot, I felt like I let my team down, my family down," Williams said. "It was like my family and my brothers are counting on me and I'm sitting here with a broken foot. But there was support from Q and Bobby and they said they were going to make it happen. It was a brotherhood.
"Basically, it gave me a family and friendship you could never replace. It gave me everything. It gave me a chance to travel if and an education."
Another one of his brothers – Andre Brown – is also in the 2019 Hall of Fame Class. Williams has a special relationship with Brown, as he was part of the reason Brown came here.
"[Getting inducted together] is big because actually, Andre was a year younger and I was hard on him," Williams said. "I told him 'You have to come here,' but everyone started looking at me like, 'What?!' because he and I play the same position."
Williams knew what Brown could bring to the program – both obviously making a Hall of Fame worthy impact on the Blue Demons. Even after their time in Lincoln Park, they met up and played professionally for a year together in Turkey.
Ultimately, getting to see his name listed among his teammates is something Williams could once only imagine – except now, it's reality.
"It's amazing," Williams said. "When Jeanne (Athletics Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto) called me, I got on the phone and she said, 'Lance, it's your time.' I said, 'Hello? Jeanne?' and started laughing. It's just such a blessing."
Playing at DePaul and gaining a family is a familiar experience for many student athletes, including those like Williams.
"The family atmosphere is amazing," he said. "At the end of the day, no matter what – you're still a Blue Demon. It opened doors for me and it's like I never left when I come back. I don't think if I would've gone to any other university that I would have found that."
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