Bassey, Williams Named to CoSIDA All-District Team

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball standouts Carson Williams and Charles Bassey have been named 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees.

The Hilltopper post players are two of the five players representing District 2 and are now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. District 2 represents Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

After Williams became the first Hilltopper to receive CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades last year since the program’s records begin in 2001-02, this is now the first time WKU has had two all-district honorees.

The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

Williams – an Owenton, Ky., native – has been pursuing his master’s degree in organizational leadership with a 3.88 grade-point average at the graduate level. His completed his bachelor’s degree in criminology in fall 2019 with a 3.82 GPA.

Williams has consistently been named to the WKU President’s List during his time on The Hill, as well as receiving the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound forward started all 27 games he played in for WKU in 2020-21, averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He shot 47.4% from the field and 39.5% from the 3-point line.

At the conclusion of the season, Williams opted to transition to professional football and signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders as a tight end in April.

Bassey is carrying a 3.56 GPA as he pursues a degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in health. He was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team this year.

The Lagos, Nigeria, native turned in one of the best seasons in program history in 2020-21, averaging 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. He shot 59% from the field and started all 28 games in which he competed.

Bassey was named an All-American by several outlets this year, including USBWA (Third Team), USA TODAY (Third Team), Basketball Times (Second Team) and Lute Olson Award. He was also chosen as an honorable mention All-American by The Associated Press.

The big man was a finalist for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year and a semifinalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He also became the fourth player in Conference USA history to win the league’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.

Bassey opted to forego his senior season of college in order to sign with an agent and enter the 2021 NBA Draft.