Sebastian Williams-Adams played a massive role in Auburn’s NIT title victory over Tulsa, scoring 13 points with three rebounds and two steals as the Tigers were able to mount a last-second comeback and defeat the Golden Hurricane, 92-86, in overtime.
He will now be a crucial piece to what Steven Pearl can do in his second season in charge of Auburn, as Williams-Adams announced on Friday that he is returning for his sophomore season.
From Auburn’s press release:
The Houston native set the Auburn freshman record with 47 steals and played the third-most minutes by a true freshman in school history (1,039).
An elite defender that can guard every position on the court, Williams-Adams added 10 double-figure scoring games and tallied a career high 15 points twice, while contributing 13 points in the NIT championship game against Tulsa.
A 4-star recruit out of St. John’s in Houston, Texas, where he was ranked as the No. 12 power forward in the 2025 signing class. He played in all 38 of Auburn’s games this past season, averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.3 minutes per game.
Williams-Adams' return is great news for Auburn
Williams-Adams put up a season-high 15 points in the NIT second-round win over Seattle, making all six field-goal attempts. That number tied the 15 points he scored in his college debut versus Bethune-Cookman.
He joins Kevin Overton and Simon Walker, who have announced they will return next season, while Filip Jovic and Kaden Magwood, both rising sophomores, have entered the transfer portal.
Pearl and Auburn are still waiting to see if players such as Tahaad Pettiford and Elyjah Freeman return, especially Pettiford, who finished second on the team with 15.4 points this past season as a sophomore.
The transfer portal closes on April 21st after a two-week span.