LOUISVILLE, KY: Ja’Leah Williams, a transfer guard, has been added, according to head coach Jeff Walz’s announcement on Friday. She played three seasons in the ACC at Miami before joining the Cardinals. She will be eligible to play one more collegiate season in 2024–2025.
“We are thrilled to add guard Ja’Leah Williams to our roster,” Walz stated. “Ja’Leah is a three-year ACC starter who gives us backcourt toughness and playmaking ability. She makes an impact on the game on both sides of the ball as an outstanding defender. She is an incredible leader and source of enthusiasm, and we are thrilled to have her in our winning culture.”
She made 81 starts and participated in 99 games over her three seasons with the Hurricanes. In all, she finished with 689 points, 250 assists, 383 rebounds, and 158 steals. After playing for the Hurricanes for one season, she was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team.
She finished fourth on the team in 2023–24 with an average of 7.1 points per game, second on the team with 2.7 assists per game, and third with 4.5 rebounds per game. The first-round ACC Tournament 2024 match saw Miami come back from behind to defeat North Carolina thanks to a half-court shot made by her just before the half-time buzzer. In the victory over Duke at home, she recorded a career-high 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds. recorded a career-high 12 rebounds against Virginia Tech in the ACC Quarterfinals.
She began all 35 of her games as a sophomore, and the Hurricanes were one of three ACC teams (together with Louisville and Virginia Tech) to make it to the Elite Eight. She led the Hurricanes with a career-high 93 assists while averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game throughout the season. She recorded multiple steals in 11 games, including a season-high five versus UMES, and scored in double figures eight times. On November 27, Williams recorded a career-high 28 points against Columbia.
She was one of just two players to finish in the top five among ACC Freshmen in steals (first), rebounding (third), scoring (fourth), and assists (fourth). For her first collegiate season, she was chosen to the All-ACC Freshman team. Williams ranked third on the team in both scoring (7.3) and rebounds (4.3), while he led the Hurricanes with 65 steals. With a.416 field goal percentage for the season (minimum 200 attempts), she also led the Hurricanes. Among all ACC players that season, her 65 steals put her in third place.
Williams attended Blanche Ely High School and is a native of Pompano Beach, Florida. In 2019–20, she was recognized as the Sun Sentinel Broward County Class 7A–6A Player of the Year. She was the team captain her senior year and guided her squad to its first state title since 1992. She was named to the first teams of the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel for a consecutive two years.
