It’s officially Dyson Williams time for the Utah Archers.
With Challen Rogers out of the lineup this weekend, Williams – the 16th overall pick in the 2024 College Draft – is on the 19-man roster for the Archers’ matchup with the Maryland Whipsnakes on Saturday in Boston. For a Utah offense that has scored just nine points in back-to-back games, Williams could be the spark plug the club needs.
“He’s just a winner,” Archers head coach Chris Bates said. “Dyson with Tom Schreiber feeding him, or Grant Ament feeding him, or working two-man with [Connor] Fieldsy or with Mac [O’Keefe] or with Ryan [Ambler] … it just seemed to be the ideal mesh for our offense.”
For Williams, joining the Archers is the perfect destination for him coming out of Duke.
“I was fired up,” he said of his reaction to being drafted by the reigning champs. “Seeing what they were able to do last year and get it done. The offensive personnel that this squad has is unbelievable. It’s definitely a great environment to come into as a rookie.”
Williams could be a great complement for Utah’s star-studded offense. His presence as a finisher alongside Ament and Schreiber will be a scary prospect for the Whips on Saturday. Meanwhile, Williams already has chemistry working with Fields on the lefty wing after playing and rooming with him for Team Canada at the World Lacrosse Championship last summer.
“The offensive personnel is unreal,” Williams added. “Whoever you’re playing with on this offense, you can get something happening.”
Wiliams spent most of his Duke career as a crease attackman responsible for searching for open space, but his role will likely change with the Archers. O’Keefe and Fields are stalwarts at attack, so he’ll start his professional career out of the box. Fortunately for Utah, that’s something he did for Team Canada alongside Fields last summer.
“(Fields is) obviously an outstanding player,” Williams said. “To get to play two-man game on that left side, you’ve got Mac obviously as well, it’s sick. It’s super exciting. I really don’t have too many words for it. I’m just fired up to get going.”
There’s an opportunity for Williams to carve out a recurring role on Utah’s 19-man roster. Rogers and Ryan Aughavin have both seen the field as the Archers’ fifth offensive midfielder this season, but neither has been incredibly productive. If Williams can help further activate Fields and O’Keefe on the lefty wing and consistently create offense as an off-ball threat, he could be the offense’s missing piece.
