Big Al’s Rising Sun
UCSB’s Rebounding Star Al Williams Finds Family and Game Time in Phoenix
Alan Williams and his family had a lot to be thankful for when they sat down for dinner last Thursday. “My dad spoke about how blessed we were to be together,” said Williams, known as “Big Al” when he pounded the boards for UCSB’s basketball team.
It was because Alan and his mother have a way of following each other around that they were reunited with his father, Cody Williams Sr., a justice of the peace in Phoenix. Also at the table for Thanksgiving dinner was younger brother Cody Jr., a current UCSB student.
Shortly after Alan began his UCSB career in 2011, Jeri Williams left the Phoenix police department to become chief of police in Oxnard, enabling her to attend many of her son’s Gaucho games. “She’s my best friend,” Big Al said.
