Brandon Williams heavily pursued after Arizona decommitment
ENCINO, Calif. - Four-star point guard Brandon Williams recently decommitted from Arizona after the program was hit with a string of allegations related to the FBI investigation dating back to September. Williams was verbally committed along with five-star forward Shareef O'Neal and both players have appeared to move on from their commitment with O'Neal quickly committing to UCLA and Williams opening things back up shortly after news broke surrounding head coach Sean Miller.
"Arizona came to practice earlier this week. Coach (Sean) Miller, coach (Mark) Phelps and coach (Lorenzo) Romar all came down," Williams told Rivals.com.
"They’re just showing me that they’re still here and they want me. You know it’s kind of an awkward vibe right now but I’m still family with them and I talk to them all the time. There’s something about them and the love is still there."
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Arizona might be doubling down and showing Williams he's still a priority but that hasn't stopped other programs from reaching out and making the top 40 player a priority for next year. Arizona State, Oregon, Gonzaga and Kansas were the first schools to reach out after Williams decommitted last week.
Arizona State: "I know Arizona State pretty well because my high school assistant coach knows coach (Anthony) Coleman really well. It means a lot to me that they came out to the game tonight after playing in the Pac-12 earlier. IT was great to see coach (Bobby) Hurley here as well. Their pitch to me they run a three-guard system and that’s something we do here at Crespi so I would be comfortable. It’s just all about letting the guards play pick-and-roll offense and running free and I think people can see that in my game and that’s what I like to do."
Oregon: "I was shocked to get an offer from Oregon because they’re definitely a school that everyone around campus talks about. They have nice facilities and a nice campus. I did my own homework and looked at the Nike facilities and some of them are being built now and they’re million dollar facilities, so I definitely want to get up there and take a visit. Obviously to come in a play with a guy like Bol Bol would be great. He’s so long you just throw up it there and get easy assists so as a guard. That would be fun."
Gonzaga: "Gonzaga has been talking to me almost every day and not only me, they’re calling my dad and getting to know my family too. I think coach (Mark) Few actually tried to call me 20 minutes ago so yeah, they’re on me hard. Coach Few is just talking to me about how they play with their guards and they don’t really have a true point guard right now, so I could come in and be that guy.
Kansas: "Kansas is Kansas and I know they have Quentin Grimes coming in and Devon Dotson so it’s just looking at how I would fit in a three-guard situation. Coach (Bill) Self does great things with guards though and all you have to look at is Frank Mason to see how he develops players."
UCLA: "Me and Shareef talked every day leading up to his decommitment. It’s his choice, his recruitment and we’ll always be brothers. He has to do what’s best for him and I have to do what’s best for me. He’s still talking to me about UCLA and I’m listening to him as well as the other coaches, but I know it’s a pretty full class right now and they have some great guards coming in."
Other programs that have reached out recently are Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgetown. "It is a little overwhelming jumping back in to the recruiting process. My phone is blowing up 24/7 and I'm just trying to hear everyone out."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Williams is focused on the California state playoffs right now, facing Chino Hills on Saturday night.
"Right now I'm just focused on the Chino Hills game. We have to stop Onyeka Okongwu and the numbers he’s been putting up are crazy and we just have to stop him down low," Williams said. "I know we’re going to have something prepared for him and they’re going to have something prepared for me so it should be a great game."
As far as the next steps for his recruitment, Williams said he and his family will start to look at scheduling visits after his high school season.
"Decision timeframe? I’m not even sure yet. I’m just going to take my time and make the best decision for me and my family."
RIVALS REACTION
Williams is by far the most coveted west coast recruit left on the board, so it's no surprise that he's being pursued by some top Pac-12 teams. The way he has come back after knee surgery is so impressive and his versatility on the offensive end makes him a good match for any team. Williams will ultimately stay in the Pac-12 and Oregon and Arizona State are the two teams to beat.