Andrew Vines ’29

by Andrew Vines ’29 on November 6, 2025

Men’s basketball head coach Kim English is known for his recruiting abilities, and this offseason, he performed well in both the transfer portal and the high school class. He brought in one of the top players in the portal in former Vanderbilt University guard Jason Edwards ’G26 and a top 50 high school prospect in forward Jameir Jones ’29. One of English’s newest additions to the roster could go under the radar. Transfer Jack Williams ’G26 committed in late June after the peak of the transfer portal after a unique journey to Division I basketball. 

After earning a degree in psychobiology at UCLA, Williams transferred to Providence College and is now in theCollege’s higher education graduate program. During his time in Los Angeles, Williams didn’t play for the Bruins D1 basketball team, but instead was a student manager for four seasons, serving as the head manager in his last three years. UCLA head coach Mick Cronin had high praise for Williams and his staff last season, saying, “If you could invest in people like the stock market, I would tell you guys just come to UCLA and invest in all of the student managers. You cannot lose. They’re so impressive.” William’s leadership gained from his three years as head manager could play a big role in the locker room for the Friars. But how did he end up on the roster at Providence?  

Williams is originally from Ann Arbor, MI. He played at Ann Arbor Skyline High School. In his senior year, the team went 8–5 in a shortened season. The two shortened seasons to end Jack’s career seemingly harmed his recruitment. He did, however, get his first offer in 2020 from Kalamazoo College, a Division III school in Michigan. While in high school, Williams got some high praise, with BankHoops saying, “There are some guards who can really shoot it in Michigan’s 2021 class, few better than AA Skyline’s Jack Williams. Scorched the nets at the IPS showcase.” Williams’ best skill is his shooting, with others describing him as a “sharpshooter” during his high school career. 

While at UCLA, Williams played on the club basketball team along with managing the D1 team. Williams’ time on the team included a lot of winning. He won two club basketball national championships, winning in both 2023 and 2025. The Bruins had three straight championship appearances in 2024 when they came up short, losing to James Madison University. In the 2024 loss, Williams had 12 points with three three-pointers. His best performance of that 2024 run came in the quarterfinals against the University of Miami, where he had 24 points, shooting seven for 13 from beyond the arc. In the semifinal, he shot two for four from the three-point line and ended with 14 points. Overall, Williams’ sharpshooting ability was on display in Erie, PA that weekend, shooting 12/25 (48 percent) from three. He also made the finals in the three-point contest at the NCBBA skills competition that same weekend. They avenged this loss in 2025. During the 2025 championship run, Williams averaged 14.7 points at the national tournament, highlighted by an 18-point performance against the University of Notre Dame in the Quarterfinals. In the Championship, he scored 15 points.   

Look for Williams to bring his leadership and knowledge to the team this season for the Friars. Providence is in a unique position with so much experience on one roster; the team includes a total of six seniors or graduate students. Friar fans will look forward to Williams playing a big role in this winning culture.