As a freshman, Christyn Williams started all 38 games of the season including this American Athletic Conference tournament win again ECU (Photo by Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus)
Christyn Williams just finished her freshman season with the UConn women’s basketball team, in which she started all 38 games played. Williams averaged 11.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, as well as played a huge role in the Huskies’ appearance in the Final Four. The Daily Campus caught up with the Little Rock, Arkansas, native for our Athlete Spotlight series, in which we aimed to get to know her better.
Hanaisha Lewis: What age did you start playing basketball? Why?
Christyn Williams: I started playing basketball when I was three years old. I come from a big family. I have two brothers and three sisters, so they all played sports, and I was kind of just thrown into it.
HL: If you can play another sport, what would it be and why?
CW: That’s a hard one … I’d probably say softball. That’s the one sport that I enjoyed the most other than basketball, and my brothers played baseball.
HL: What’s it like being so far from home, and how have you had to adjust?
CW: It’s definitely been an adjustment. I traveled with basketball my whole life, so being away from home really wasn’t that big of a deal. We play people in our conference close to home, so I see my parents all the time. It was just an adjustment coming from the South. The North is way different than the South, so just little things there I’ve had to acclimate to.
HL: How many times have you seen your family since you’ve been here? You kind of already answered that in the last question.
CW: A lot, because we play close to home, so they come to a few games.
HL: What do you miss most about being home?
CW: I miss most my mom’s cooking. I hate eating out all the time. She used to cook almost every day.
HL: Your nickname on the team is Squeaks, why?
CW: My nickname is Squeaks because [Katie Lou Samuelson] and [Napheesa Collier] gave it to me. I guess my voice is kind of squeaky, and that’s easier on the court to say than Christyn.
HL: What’s your favorite memory that you’ve had so far at UConn?
CW: Just making it to the Final Four—especially as a freshman–that’s a pretty big deal. We had fun.
HL: Are you superstitious in any way?
CW: No, not really.
HL: Favorite basketball player? Why?
CW: I’ll go with LeBron James because we’re very similar, I’ll say, as far as, like, playing-wise.
HL: What’s your major?
CW: Communication.
HL: What would you want to do with that?
CW: I don’t know. I have no idea.
HL: Favorite social media?
CW: I don’t know. I get on Instagram, but Snapchat is more personal, but Twitter is really funny. I get on all three.
HL: Favorite food?
CW: Chicken. I like chicken, because you can make it in so many different ways.
HL: Favorite TV show?
CW: I just finished “How to Get Away With Murder.” That’s a really good show, but overall, “Martin” is a classic.
HL: Favorite type of music and artist?
CW: Hip hop, R&B, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, J. Cole—I got a lot of favorites.
HL: What’s your favorite thing to do in your down time?
CW: Well, considering being a student-athlete, I like to sleep when I’m not doing anything.
HL: What’s your favorite quality about yourself?
CW: I guess I’ll say I have a goofy personality. Very easygoing. I get along with a lot of people.
HL: What’s one skill that you’ll be working at for next season?
CW: I’ll say getting quicker.
Hanaisha Lewis is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at hanaisha.lewis@uconn.edu.
