Closer to home, transfer improves game

It’s hard to adjust to life-changing events when you don’t know what to expect.

For redshirt sophomore forward Courtney Williams, dealing with a new school, coach and teammates has been stressful.

Williams transferred from Loyola University of Chicago to the University of Detroit Mercy in the summer of 2015 because she wasn’t happy with Loyola’s coaching staff. 

Like UDM, Loyola is a private Jesuit university. It is located in a big, busy section of the Windy City. But Loyala turned out not to be as good a fit as Williams had hoped when she was recruited while in high school. 

Now that she has transferred to UDM, she appreciates other things about her college experience, including the academic atmosphere.

She likes the small class sizes and strong student-teacher interactions with her professors.

“Since the number of students in your class is relatively small, you can really get to know your professor,” Williams mentioned. “At Detroit Mercy, you may have 20 people in a class. That gives students more time to ask questions, get to know your professor and set up time to meet with professors during their office hours.” 

At Loyola she had more than 100 people in one class and rarely interacted with professors.

“One of the things that I love about University of Detroit Mercy is coach (Bernard) Scott,” explained Williams. “He is always there for us. He has our back and most importantly he is teaching us the true game of basketball.”

Williams also enjoys social interactions with her teammates.

Some of her teammates are some of the funniest people that she has ever played with, and that factor makes the season more enjoyable.

As a team the Titans are always hanging out with each other, going to watch the men’s team games, eating at restaurants or even walking to class together.

“We are all pulling for each other constantly,” she said. “We are a tight-knit group. We have our ups and down, but at the end of the day, we stick together regardless of the circumstances.”

Williams recalled when a teammate had a sudden death in the family and the team banded together immediately.

She said she is proud to be a Detroit Titan and can’t wait to starting playing next year.

Due to NCAA transfer rules, Williams cannot officially play until next season and will have to watch the 2015 games from the sidelines. Despite that fact, she has the goal of mastering all the plays and helping her teammates improve during scrimmages.

 “I’m still learning and working on my game,” Williams said. “The coaches are working me out at a great pace. Everyday, I’m always improving on the basketball court.”

You can always see her on the sidelines pumping up her teammates and giving feedback.

Williams feels Detroit is a great fit for her and she said she is extremely happy that she made the decision to transfer.

“Ultimately, Detroit is closer to home,” she added. “The most important factor that made my transition easier is that my family and friends can now regularly come see me play next year.”