Frank Williams

Frank Lowell Williams (born February 25, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. As a point guard, Williams was drafted out of the University of Illinois with the 25th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. In 2004, Williams was named to the University of Illinois All-Century Team. High school career Williams attended Manual High School in Peoria, Illinois, where he was a member of one of the most heralded teams in the nation. Williams led Peoria Manual to the final two of four consecutive IHSA class AA boys state basketball tournaments, in 1996 as a sophomore and again in 1997 as a junior. In both tournaments, Williams was named to the five-player All-Tournament team. As a senior, Williams was named the 1998 Illinois Mr. Basketball. College career After high school, Williams attended the University of Illinois, and played three seasons for the Fighting Illini under head coach Bill Self, leading the team to a string of NCAA Tournament appearances. After the 2000-2001 season, Williams was named the Big Ten player of the year, and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball award. While at Illinois, Williams was re-united with high school teammates Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain, (a.k.a. "The Peoria 3") where they earned a number one seed and eventually went to the Elite 8 in 2001. Williams' high school coach, Wayne McClain (Sergio's father) also was named assistant coach for the Illini during his time there. He was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004. In 2007, Williams was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament," recognizing his superior performance in his appearance in the tournament.