Derrick LeRon Williams nicknamed D-Will, is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...

. He was considered one of the top prospects for the 2011 NBA Draft

2011 NBA Draft

The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

 and was selected as the second overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

College career

Derrick Williams originally committed to play at the University of Southern California but asked for a release from his letter of intent when head coach Tim Floyd resigned amid allegations of NCAA rules violations. He was quickly recruited by first year Head Coach Sean Miller

Sean Miller

Sean Miller is an American college basketball coach, and currently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Arizona.-Early years:...

 at the University of Arizona.

Freshman year

As a freshman Williams averaged 15.7 points per game and was named a freshman All-American and the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Freshman year honors:

• Fred Enke Most Outstanding Player (Team co-MVP)
• All PAC-10 team

Sophomore year

Williams rose to national prominence in his sophomore year. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. During the 2011 season, Williams led the NCAA in True Shooting percentage (.690) and Effective Field Goal percentage (.650), helping lead the Arizona Wildcats basketball team to a regular season PAC-10 championship. Williams was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Williams also contributed to the Wildcats' run in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. He made a critical block with less than 2 seconds against Memphis. He had a 3 point play against the Texas Longhorns

2010–11 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Rick Barnes, who was in his 13th year. The team played its home games at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas and are members of the...

, which advanced the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....

. Williams then led Arizona to an upset victory over the #1-seeded Duke

2010–11 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. The team played its home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina and are members of the...

 by a 16 point margin to advance into the Elite Eight, where they fell 65–63 to, future champion, Connecticut.

Sophomore year honors:

• Pac-10 Player of the Year
• Three time Pac-10 Player of the Week
• USBWA District IX Player of the Year
• Wooden Award's 10-player All-America team in 2011
• First-team All-American by Sports Illustrated
• Second-team by the Associated Press in 2011.
• Second-team by Sporting News
• Second-team by the United States Basketball Writers Association
• Second-team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
• Second-team by Fox Sports.

Professional career

Williams announced that he would declare for the NBA draft on April 13, 2011. He was selected with the second overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2011 NBA Draft. During the NBA lockout of 2011, Derrick spent the summer at the University of Arizona taking summer classes to finish his degree. Shortly after the draft, Under Armour

Under Armour

Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes...

 signed an endorsement deal with Derrick Williams. Derrick joined several other notable NBA players for an exhibition game in the Philippines during the summer of 2011.

External links

• Arizona Wildcats bio
• Derrick Williams at NBA.com
• Derrick Williams bio at ESPN
  ESPN
  Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....