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Going pro

Aja Williams to play basketball in Spain

By California State University, Bakersfield

August 16^th, 2018

Felicidades to new CSUB alum Aja Williams, who has signed a contract to play pro basketball in Spain.

Williams, whom we profiled in June, has signed with Club Deportivo Talent in Santander, located in the Cantabria region on the north coast of Spain.

She will join the team in September.

“It sounded like they’re family oriented, so I like that,” said Williams, who played for the Roadrunners for two years and graduated in May. “They’re also about bettering me, not just me bettering their program.”

She didn’t want to get into the details of her contract, except to say it’s for nine months and covers all her living expenses. She’s excited to move to Spain, someplace she’s never been.

Two other Americans play for the team, which Williams said has a strong fan base.

"Aja Williams is an athletic player of great intensity, able to develop offensive and defensive tasks in the same way and with great success,” her new coach, Luisma Solana, told Contrameta.com.

Over two seasons at CSUB, the 5-10 forward averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, according to the university.

Last year Williams was the leading scorer off the bench (she usually entered games toward the end of the first quarter or early in the second)and was second in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

The team fell just one game short of its first Division 1 regular conference championship and made it to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship game, though lost by three points.

Williams, who grew up in Jackson, Miss., also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.

Her agent has been seeking out professional opportunities for her ever since.

“When you sign, you’re automatically going (to a team),” Williams told us a few months ago. “But there’s no guarantee how long you’re going. It depends on your play.”

A picture from last year of the team for which Williams will play.

Williams is the second lady Roadrunner basketball player to sign a pro contract this year, the other being Jazmyne Bartee, who signed to play in Holland.

Williams and Bartee are the fourth and fifth players to go pro during the CSUB tenure of women’s basketball Coach Greg McCall, who is entering his eighth season here.

“Her signing a pro contract is a blessing for her and a blessing for me and our program,” McCall said of Williams.

Williams, he said, gets to live out a dream she’s had since childhood while CSUB gains in prestige, recruitment power and pride. McCall was quick to emphasize, however, that his No. 1 priority is ensuring his players graduate from college.

As for Spain, McCall noted that former CSUB All-American women’s basketball player Tyonna Outland played there after leaving the WNBA, and his daughter Erica has played in the country, too.

“It’s great basketball, it’s known for its basketball,” McCall said. “And it’s a beautiful place to play, I’ll tell you that.”

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Footnotes

Story by Christine Bedell, alumni engagement specialist

FootNotes

Story by Christine Bedell, alumni engagement specialist

© 2026 California State University, Bakersfield

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