Corliss Williamson voted Arkansas' best basketball player of SEC era
HawgBeat's coverage of Arkansas basketball is brought to you by CJ's Butcher Boy Burgers, which has locations in Fayetteville and Russellville.
Corliss Williamson is the Razorbacks’ best basketball player of the SEC era as voted by the fans in a 64-person bracket created by HawgBeat.
In polls conducted on Twitter and the HawgBeat message board, “Big Nasty” received 85.7 percent of the votes (444-74) to easily get by Arkansas all-time leading scorer Todd Day in the championship round.
It was actually the closest matchup of the bracket for Williamson, who got more than 97 percent in each of the previous five rounds. His path to the Elite Eight included victories over Alex Dillard (99.3%), Isaiah Morris (99.4%) and Jannero Pargo (99.8%), and then he knocked off each of the Razorbacks’ early-90s trio of Oliver Miller (98.7%), Lee Mayberry (97.6%) and Day to claim the title.
Although the margin might have been a surprise, the result was mostly expected because few players have a resume as impressive as Williamson’s, regardless of era. Perhaps the only other player who belongs in “G.O.A.T.” discussions is Sidney Moncrief, who played a huge part in putting Arkansas basketball on the map in the late-70s.
What separates Williamson from Moncrief, Day and others, though, is the ring he helped the Razorbacks win in 1994 - and almost again the next year.
Not only are those the only championship game appearances in school history, but it’s also the only time Arkansas has reached back-to-back Final Fours. It was truly the program’s pinnacle and Williamson was the team’s superstar.
A native of Russellville, Ark., Williamson was a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American in high school. As a senior, he famously led the Cyclones to the King Cotton Tournament championship game and took home MVP honors after blocking a potential game-winning shot by Jason Kidd.
Widely considered the best player in the country, he could have played college ball anywhere he wanted, but he chose to stay home and play for the Razorbacks.
What unfolded over the next three years cemented his place in Arkansas history. Williamson averaged 19.0 points during his career, which ranks second only to Martin Terry’s 26.3 in the early-70s. He earned back-to-back SEC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore and junior, becoming just the fifth player in conference history to be selected unanimously for the award in multiple seasons.
In 1994, Williamson averaged 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds. He was even better in the NCAA Tournament, contributing 21.7 points and 8.2 rebounds to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
After the runner-up finish to UCLA in 1995, Williamson declared for the NBA Draft and was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 13th overall pick.
Despite never reaching superstar status at the next level or even making an All-Star game, he still enjoyed a successful 12-year NBA career. Williamson won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2002 and helped the Pistons win a title a couple of years later.
Since his playing days ended, Williamson has been a collegiate head coach and NBA assistant coach. His jersey - No. 34 - is one of two hanging in the rafters at Bud Walton Arena.
Sign up for an annual HawgBeat subscription and get $50 for Arkansas gear on the Rivals Fan Shop ––> details
Full Bracket/Results
College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.
