During Kyla Jones’ sophomore year at Brown in 2021-22 — her first season of collegiate action due to the Ivy League’s COVID-19 cancellation in 2020-21 — the Bears finished last place in conference play.
Two years later, Jones scored a team-high 17.1 points per game as Brown jumped to fourth in the conference standings last season. The Bears’ 16 victories marked their highest single-season win total since 2005-06.
With her Ivy League eligibility exhausted, the 5-foot-9 guard entered the portal as a graduate transfer in the spring. A Chicago native, Jones soon landed with her hometown Big Ten squad in Northwestern. She said she saw a program on the precipice of a similar turnaround to her time in Providence, Rhode Island.
“It’s nice being able to come back playing my last year in front of all my friends and family here in Chicago,” Jones told The Daily on Monday. “I also thought this was a team that was a player or two away from being a really strong program. They were a lot better than the record showed, and I felt like I could come in and make a difference.”
Jones, graduate student forward Taylor Williams and junior forward Grace Sullivan account for the Wildcats’ largest transfer class of the portal era. Fresh off his second consecutive nine-win season, coach Joe McKeown searched far and wide for energy boosts, bringing in Williams from Big Ten rivals Michigan and Sullivan from Bucknell.
NU’s staff consistently communicated with its portal targets, which Jones said was a significant pull factor in her recruiting process.
“As soon as I got in the portal, I heard from them all the time,” Jones said. “Consistent calls, texts, whatever it was. I knew that meant they were really interested in me and that wasn’t something I was seeing from a lot of other schools. Seeing that really helped me make my decision.”
McKeown said Jones and Williams — a pair of 1,000-point collegiate scorers — add much-needed veteran poise to a squad that lacked significant experience in its past two seasons.
He pointed toward Jones’ and Williams’ ability to balance athletic schedules with rigorous academic responsibilities as key components of their appeal.
“Nothing rattles them, and they understand what it’s like to be a college basketball player from Day 1,” McKeown said. “They bring that calmness and patience.”
Williams, who is entering her sixth and final collegiate season, began her college journey in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
There, the 6-foot-3 forward flourished in the paint with Western Michigan. After redshirting her true freshman season, she became a staple in the Broncos’ starting rotation.
“If you really want something, you’re going to work for it,” Williams said. “Western Michigan, loved playing there, and (I) worked for it. Michigan, worked for it. I’m just really happy to be here and keep working.”
Williams set school records in career rebounds, made field goals, field goal percentage and blocks before transferring to Michigan, where she made six starts and 24 appearances in 2023-24. In perhaps Williams’ finest hour with the Wolverines, she poured in 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against South Dakota on Nov. 19, 2023.
Williams said last season afforded her a valuable learning opportunity as she made the jump from the MAC to the Big Ten.
“One of the biggest lessons would be the physicality of the Big Ten,” Williams said. “It’s definitely a bit different from the MAC down there in the post. The speed, too. It’s a much faster game.”
With their respective final stops taking place at a new destination, both Williams and Jones have balanced their newcomer status by embracing leadership roles as two of the team’s foremost veterans.
While Jones said she strives to provide a model for her younger backcourt counterparts to emulate, Williams has emphasized her role as a vocal leader in a new system.
“I just try to always lead by example and show them the things I do and how those helped me become the player I am,” Jones said. “It’s just being a good role model for them and doing the little things that a lot of people sometimes don’t.”
As the ’Cats enter a realigned Big Ten gauntlet this winter, McKeown will lean on newcomers and returners alike to potentially make inroads in one of the nation’s toughest leagues.
For Williams and Jones, sustained progress will accompany consistent preparation. Through it all, Williams said a sense of finality has begun to creep into the back of her mind.
“I know most people are pretty sad about their last year, but so far it’s been pretty happy,” Williams said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll shed tears when it’s finally over. But it’s kind of amazing to reach this milestone. I’ve seen class after class of people I’ve played with graduate, so I guess it’s finally my turn.”
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