So long, Big Nasty
Well, everyone probably feels pretty old right now. Corliss Williamson, the forward who led Arkansas to its only national championship in basketball 13 years ago, is expected to announce he is retiring from the NBA tomorrow. The Russellville Courier, Williamson’s hometown newspaper, has the story.
Williamson, 33, was a first round pick in 1995 and played for four teams in the NBA, averaging 11.1 points per game during his career.
In these parts, though, he is remembered for being the face of Arkansas during the Razorbacks’ halcyon days in the mid-1990s, when the Hogs made it to two consecutive NCAA title games. Williamson’s time at Arkansas coincided with the closing of Barnhill Arena and the opening of the much-bigger, more palatial Bud Walton Arena.
Athletic and powerful, he was the best post player former Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson was able to lure to Fayetteville during his 17-year tenure. Williamson could get up and down the floor and pass out of the blocks, finding open shooters like Scotty Thurman and Clint McDaniel on the perimeter. He could also take his defender off the dribble.
Sidney Moncrief is perhaps the only player more highly regarded in the history of Arkansas’ basketball program than Williamson. Big Nasty was indeed one of a kind.
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