Arizona is expected to have a second commitment for the class of 2018 when five-star point guard Brandon Williams announces his college choice Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Committing tomorrow @3pm PST via TwitterππΌ#Blessed
β Brandon Williams (@TheeBWill) June 6, 2017
According to 24/7 Sports' Crystal Ball, it's unanimous that Williams will choose UA over Gonzaga, UCLA, USC and Kansas.
A product of Los Angeles who plays for the Cal Supreme travel club, Williams has been regarded as one of the nation's best point guards, with the ability to score and distribute at a high level.
The only question mark has been a knee injury that led to surgery and cost him most of his junior season. However, Williams told Gonzaga's Scout.com site that he expects to be back on the court by July.
If Williams chooses UA, he'll be entering just as Parker Jackson-Cartwright leaves and could be battling then-sophomore Alex Barcello for the starting point guard job.
Arizona already received two commitments for its 2018 class, although wing Emmanuel Akot reclassified to 2017 and is joining the Wildcats this summer. Forward Shareef O'Neal is currently the only 2018 player on board at this early date.
Would Sean Miller even consider the Ohio State opening? Naturally, it was a frequent topic of discussion Monday after word surfaced that his good friend, Thad Matta, was done as the Buckeyes' head coach, but there are a number of reasons why he might not want to.
Among them:
-- Miller's much closer to the brass ring now than he would be there. The 2017-18 Wildcats may be the preseason No. 1 team, and at worst a serious Final Four contender. Hard to leave that behind, especially in June.
-- He's a loyal friend to Matta so if there was any bad blood between Matta and OSU, it's hard to imagine he'd even think of going there.
-- The timing is awful. Ohio State waited to make a change until after spring recruiting, which would make the transition even longer for a new coach. Miller essentially took five years to get UA's recruiting fully on track following the messy transition from Lute Olson, and this wouldn't likely be a quick fix, either.
-- He has commitments to return from Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins, and he lured Lorenzo Romar to his staff.
-- While basketball has plenty of resources and support at Ohio State, it isn't the biggest sport on campus. While that may not be important to Miller, it can be to recruits.
-- He'd have to face his brother in conference play and, likely, on the recruiting trail. Miller has made it clear he doesn't enjoy facing those he's especially close with, having faced Matta and Xavier's Chris Mack each twice in NCAA Tournament play.
-- He'd have to go back to Midwestern weather after seeming to prefer Arizona's climate.
On the other hand, Ohio State could offer considerably more money (Miller makes nearly $3 million at UA, counting incentives). Miller could also consider it if he felt a difference in support from new UA leadership (though there's no evidence of that) or if he sensed declining fan support (he dropped Twitter after UA's Sweet 16 loss, but said that was about setting a team-oriented example for his players).
Couple of interesting Matta stories, if you missed them: Yahoo's Jeff Eisenberg took a look back at how Matta's recruiting took a toll on his Ohio State tenure, while Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy wrote about Matta's health battles.
