Rivals150 forward keeping options open

THE RIVALS150: Class of 2014 - Class of 2015

Carrolton (Texas) Hebron junior small forward Tyler Williams has led his team to an impressive 25-7 record this season in one of the tougher regions in Texas. Averaging 17.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game, it's easy to see why he's drawing attention from high-major programs all over the country.

Williams says he's been in regular contact with many Big Ten and Big 12 programs in recent months along with several other top programs.

"I've been talking to Michigan, Kansas State, Creighton, Texas, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Florida State, TCU, SMU, Texas A&M and some other Big 10 and Big 12 schools," Williams said. "My offers are from Texas A&M, Creighton, Houston, SMU, Tulsa and Iowa State."

Under head coach Larry Brown, SMU has impressed local recruits not only on the court this season but also with the newly renovated Moody Coliseum.

"I visited SMU recently for their game against Houston. They are doing a really good job this year. Larry Brown has put together a really good team," Williams said. "What they've done with that arena has really brought the fans in and got people excited about SMU basketball again. It's a really nice facility."

Creighton has had some success recruiting in the Lone Star State under Greg McDermott, and they'd like to come back for another talented prospect in the 2015 class.

"Creighton is really nice. I went up there on an unofficial visit in October. Coach McDermott is a great coach. Seeing what he's done with that program is crazy, especially with Doug doing all the scoring. I think that's an exciting program as well."

Texas A&M is currently in the middle of a log jam in the SEC standings, but Williams did take notice of the Aggies recent win over one of the top teams in the conference.

"They just had a big win over Tennessee the other day. They are trying to build their program up with some big recruits."

Williams is claiming no favorites at the moment. He'll continue to entertain all options through the July recruiting periods.

"No one is really standing out right now. I'm just trying to enjoy the recruiting process. I'm still open to new schools coming in. I want to make a decision before my senior year starts."

With all the local schools in the mix for Williams, many would assume he's likely going to end up at one of them. That might not be a safe assumption.

"I'm considering schools far away just as much as I am the schools close by. Staying home would be awesome just for family purposes, (but) I do have family up north as well, so those schools are an option too."

Academically, the three-star prospect already has a pretty good idea of the criteria a school must meet in order to sign him in November.

"Academics are going to be important too. I'm looking to major in kinesiology, so figuring out which schools are strong in that area is important. Figuring out where I can get early playing time and play against great competition are also important factors to me."

Dan McDonald is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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