New Mexico Basketball: Kendall Williams Solidifies MWC Player of the Year

By John Lloyd
POY
Troy Babbitt- USA TODAY Sports

In a dominating win against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, New Mexico Lobos’ point guard Kendall Williams was the best player on the court. He scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists. His Lobos won 68-56 in a rare road win in Mountain West Conference play.

A rare combination of size (6-foot-4), ball handling skill, shooting touch and passing ability makes Williams one of the most interesting players in not only the MWC, but the country. Playing 38 minutes against the Runnin’ Rebels, he showed off all of his skills and talents.

With his performance, Williams showed that he is the best player in the conference. His team might not be in first place like Xavier ThamesSan Diego State Aztecs, but his individual performances have been unreal. On the season, Williams is averaging 17 points, four rebounds and five assists per contest; compare that to Thames’ 17 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Williams and Thames are the only players worthy of the title for MWC Player of the Year, and both have played extremely well down the stretch. However, Williams has proven to be more of a game-changer with his point guard abilities whereas Thames is an undersized shooting guard who loves to shoot jumpers.

The Lobos notched their 20th win of the season against UNLV and are in sole possession of second place behind the Aztecs. The 11-2 conference record is proving to be dangerous once the tournament rolls around for the Lobos as they have caught fire of late,  going 8-2 in their last ten games.

Williams was on fire for most of the night going 11-of-17 from the floor and hitting 4-of-7 from behind the arc.  Williams’ running mate, Cameron Bairstow, had a nice game himself providing 18 points and adding five blocks of his own.

The Lobos’ point guard deserves player of the year due to sheer value of his production and dominating performance against one of the top-tier teams in the MWC.

John Lloyd is a Pac-12 Basketball Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHLloydIII

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