Tarvis Williams

Tarvis Devar Williams (born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He is best known, however, for making the game-winning shot with 6.9 seconds left that propelled 15th-seeded Hampton past 2nd-seeded Iowa State, 58–57, in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was only the fourth time since 1985 that a #15 defeated a #2 seed.

Early life Williams was born in Maysville, North Carolina. He attended White Oak High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he graduated in 1996. After his final collegiate season he was selected to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament to try and impress NBA scouts, but his sub-par performance resulted in not being chosen in the 2001 NBA draft. Williams finished his career at Hampton with 1,754 points and owns school records in every single blocked shot category: single game (12), single season (147), career, season average (4.59 bpg), and career average (3.8 bpg).

Professional career After being passed up by NBA teams, Williams left the United States to play professional basketball. Since his career began in 2001 he has been a journeyman, playing for 11 different teams in seven countries. His most successful season to date was in 2004–05 while playing for BK Děčín in the Czech Republic's National Basketball League. In 37 games, Williams averaged 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He was third in the league in rebounding average while also tops in blocks.