Mark Pope praises Kam Williams' shooting, defensive versatility as Tulane transfer signs with Kentucky

Kam Williams was the first portal commit of the offseason for Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. Two weeks later, the Tulane transfer has put pen to paper as he’s officially signed with the Wildcats.

“Kam is a beautiful kid who is not only an elite-level shooter but also an elite 1-through-4 defender,” Pope said in UK’s press release from Friday announcing Williams’ signing. “He has a ton of gravity to his game and has untapped athleticism that is going to make his ceiling really high.”

After spending his freshman year with the Green Wave, the 6-foot-8 guard will bring his positional versatility to Lexington for the 2025-26 season and beyond. Williams averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 32.4 minutes per outing last season for Tulane. The Louisiana native shot 48.5 percent from the field, 41.2 percent (4.6 attempts per game) from deep, and 76 percent from the free throw line.

#BBN, meet @KamWilliams_3!

📰🔗 – https://t.co/10quHfXxAm pic.twitter.com/8rL1yni8uH

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) April 11, 2025

Williams went into the portal on March 25 and was committed to Kentucky a few days later on March 28. He joins a four-man transfer class that includes Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), and Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama) as incoming Wildcats. Lowe and Dioubate have also signed with UK while Quaintance is expected to do the same soon.

Prior to suiting up for Tulane, Williams played his high school basketball at Lafayette Christian Academy and was a Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State selection. He also suited up for Houston Hoops on the Nike EYBL circuit in 2023. As a freshman at Tulane, he reached double-figures in scoring 14 times with one double-double. Williams posted a season-high 24 points against UAB on March 9.

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