Brice Williams second feature

Charlotte redshirt junior guard Brice Williams (3) was named C-USA player of the week following two 31 point performances against Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31, 2022.

 Photo by Chris Crews

From a season-ending knee injury over a year ago to breaking records, redshirt junior guard Brice Williams made a name for himself with his most recent performances.

On Dec. 29 and Dec. 31, 2022, Williams tallied 62 points in two games. On those nights, the 49ers secured two Conference USA (C-USA) wins against Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech. Due to his performances, Williams was named the C-USA Player of the Week.

Williams said he is still focusing on the bigger picture.

"It felt good getting a good start and getting our first wins in the conference," Williams said. "It felt great to do it in front of our home fans. I obviously had it going, but it was fun because that just set the tone for how we want to play in the conference. Those were two teams ranked higher than us, and we beat them."

Williams also became the first Charlotte athlete to be named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

"I didn't know how big of an award that was. It's cool to be the first one, and it's encouraging for me this early in the season to keep performing well as the season goes on," Williams said.

Williams has been stellar off the bench this season for the 49ers averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 rebounds. Williams said the honors are nice, but he wants to help the team in any way possible.

"I didn't really set any personal goals for myself coming into this season. I kinda just wanted to be whatever my team needed me to be for us to be successful," Williams said. "I set my personal accolades aside for the team's success. However, it is great that I can still show my talents and be recognized."

Despite racking up the accolades, Williams said he does not feel any pressure in helping lead the team.

"There's never really any pressure coming in, especially with this squad, because on any given night, any of us can score 20 or 30, just because of how we play and how unselfish we are," Williams said. "I just want to keep coming in, be consistent, and do the little things that help us win."

Before the season ends, Williams said the goal is securing a win in the C-USA tournament.

"My first season got cut short, my second year we lost to UTSA, and then last year I didn't play, so I just want to get the first win in a conference tournament so we can try to win a championship," Williams said.

Off the basketball court, Williams recently verified on Instagram joins teammates Jackson Threadgill, Aly Khalifa, Robert Braswell IV, Musa Jallow and Igor Miliฤiฤ‡ Jr.

This new blue checkmark surprised Williams, but he said he views himself similarly.

"It kinda caught me off guard," Williams said. "Honestly, I don't pay attention to the verifications or anything like that. It doesn't mean anything to me, but I was getting a lot of DMs. My brother had called me to say, 'Yo, you're verified on Instagram.' We just started laughing about it."

Williams and the 49ers will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 21, when they take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Ky. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.