AMES, Iowa — Jada Williams is just 20 years old and already knows the ups and downs of home ownership. There’s a lawn to get mowed, a garage to clean, air filters to change and a handyman to call for some minor repairs at the four-bedroom fixer-upper she bought recently.
Williams also has quite a to-do list outside her household chores.
She is expected to lead 14th-ranked Iowa State as the starting point guard and biggest addition to a program expected to challenge for the Big 12 women’s basketball championship and make a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
When she has time, she’ll produce some fresh content for her more than 1 million followers on social media.
No doubt, it’s good to be Jada Williams right now.
“I’ve been here since June,” she said, “and my life is 100% better.”
Williams, who spent most of her childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, was one of the nation’s highest-rated recruits when she was coming out of La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego. She played her first two college seasons at Arizona, starting 58 of 64 games and leading the Wildcats in scoring last season.
Without elaborating, she said the environment at Arizona took a toll on her mental health. She needed peace of mind, she said, and has found it with coach Bill Fennelly, his staff and her new teammates.
“I’m in a way better spot here,” she said. “I think that’s going to translate on the court as well. They believe in me, they want me to shoot the ball, they want me to pass the ball, they believe in all my abilities and they just encourage me.”
Williams has nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram, more than 500,000 on TikTok and almost 18,000 on X (Twitter). She and her godfather, former college and pro player Marcus Walker, began making training videos when she was in middle school, and that morphed into content highlighting her athletic exploits and personality.
“She kind of took the internet by surprise because it wasn’t a big thing back then, social media, and they were just having fun,” said her mom, Jill McIntyre. “We did not plan for any of this to happen. It organically happened naturally and it’s been a fun ride.”
Williams’ popularity has spawned name, image and likeness opportunities that have made her one of the highest paid women’s college athletes. According to the Opendorse, which provides NIL services to schools and athletes, top starting point guards in the Big 12 can expect to make about $250,000 annually. Several outlets that estimate NIL valuations put Williams’ earnings as double that.
Williams was the first female high school athlete to sign a NIL agreement, McIntyre said, and she broke through with her first national deal in 2021 with the Spalding sporting goods company. Deals with Move insoles, sports publisher Overtime, toy brand Nerf, Lemon Perfect flavored water and social networking app Bumble followed, among others.
“I have an amazing support system with my mom, godfather and agent,” she said. “Things like that make me grateful because not everybody gets this opportunity and, even now that NIL has passed, I just make sure I’m not taking it for granted.”
Williams said she’s learned a lot about managing money, and the house she bought in Ames is an investment. She lives with her golden retriever, Deuce, and hangs out there with teammates, family and friends. Once her time at Iowa State is over, she plans to turn it into an Airbnb.
Williams joins a lineup that features one of the nation’s top frontcourts with Audi Crooks and Addy Brown. Williams takes over at the point for five-year starter Emily Ryan, and brings speed and tenacity that make her a tough on-the-ball defender.
“Last year, 90% of the time Emily Ryan went to the basket, that ball was going to get passed,” Fennelly said. “Jada’s going to score more.”
Brown grew up in Kansas, about three hours from Kansas City, and has known Williams as a teammate or opponent since the third grade. They played together in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game and kept in touch, and when Williams went looking for a new school, Brown urged her to become a Cyclone.
Williams averaged 12.7 points per game and her 86.2% free-throw shooting was second in the Big 12 . She shot just 29.2% on 3-pointers, battled injuries and was worn down by what she characterized as a “toxic” culture.
“There are a lot of things as a player that can limit your game when you’re not in a system that maybe fits you, and I think that was kind of her situation at Arizona,” Brown said. “I know she’s a great player. I’m excited to see her express her game here and show why she’s one of the best.”
Williams said that’s what she plans to do, mostly because she’s playing with a new team and a clear mind.
“Eveyrbody said Jada fell off,” she said, “so now I’m trying to show you that I didn’t fall off.”
___
AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll
Please read our comment policy before commenting.