Bonnies Baseline: New Team, Familiar Faces

Transferring to St. Bonaventure for her junior season brought a level of comfort for Jordyn Williams.

Despite heading into the third year of her Division I career with a new program, she joins multiple familiar faces at Bona’s, including fellow Cardinal O’Hara High alumnae Kyla Hayes and assistant coach Aaliyah Parker.

“When I came here, I could feel this was the fit for me,” she said. “It didn’t take long to make my decision.”

But she’s had to wait a little longer to fully join her new teammates on the floor.

A foot injury during offseason workouts sidelined her for much of the summer, but she avoided more serious damage and is on her way back as the official start of practice comes around.

A native of Buffalo, she played the past two seasons at Niagara where she appeared in 56 games including 16 starts. Last year, she paced the Purple Eagles in steals (44). 

On one of her first days on campus this summer, however, she landed awkwardly after going for a layup, leaving her in a boot since June. 

“When we did our kids camp (this summer), I just told them I did it trying to dunk,” she laughs. “They all believed it.” 

As the calendar moves to mid-September, Williams is now cleared for basketball activities but is taking the road back step by step. Along with sophomore Mallory Heise, working her way back from an ACL injury suffered last season, the two have formed a bond in their rehab journeys.

“With Mal coming off injury as well, we’ve been recovery buddies,” Williams said. “It can feel very isolating constantly watching the team practice so having someone on the side with you is nice.

“Now,” she continued, “it’s exciting finally being able to sweat. I haven’t been able to do that in like two months.”

At Bonaventure, she reunites with Hayes, a transfer from St. John’s. The Buffalo tandem has played together since Williams started playing organized basketball back in middle school. 

Williams was a do-it-all player in high school, posting nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game. Now at Bona’s, she looks to continue representing Western New York basketball.

“Being Buffalo tough means you can play with anybody anywhere,” she said. “Buffalo is a small town, but when you look at what a lot of the girls are doing (after high school), it shows what the talent level is there.”

Williams also followed a similar path as Parker, coming up behind her at Cardinal O’Hara before later attending Niagara. Despite the shared stops, though, the two never had the chance to play together. “Every year I was supposed to play with her, something happened,” she said. “I’ve watched her grow from high school, college, to now being a coach. I think she’s going to do really big things.”

Having those familiar faces around is a big reason Williams feels right at home despite having the injury setback to begin her Bonnies career.

“There’s a comfort level there,” she said. “I think about if I was a regular student how going to a new school and not knowing anybody how tough that would be. Being a basketball player, one of the perks is having a built-in sisterhood.”