By getting a re-commitment from four-star Los Angeles guard Brandon Williams on Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats didnβt just pick up an engine for their revamped 2018-19 team.
They also received an endorsement that maybe, after all the clouds that have circulated over the program in the past seven months, itβs OK for a top-rated player to jump on board.
Maybe even one such as Jordan Brown, the five-star forward from Northern California who is still considering the Wildcats, Nevada and Cal.
When Williams took off a gray warmup suit to reveal a UA shirt before the Ballislife All-American Game β βBear Down,β he said with a grin β he did so in front of a group of talented prospects that included Jahvon Quinerly and Shareef OβNeal.
Quinerly and OβNeal were the two players who initially joined Williams in UAβs 2018 recruiting class, only to decommit along with Williams in the wake of the federal investigation into college basketball that resulted in the arrest and eventual firing of UA assistant coach Book Richardson.
Quinerly instead picked Villanova, while OβNeal committed to UCLA. Williams was the last to decommit from Arizona, doing so on March 2, a day after UA coach Sean Miller denied an ESPN report that he discussed a pay-for-play scheme with an agent.
But even though Williams went on to heavily consider Oregon and Gonzaga, visiting both schools and posting photos of himself in their gear on social media, he never could completely pull away from the Wildcats.
βThe whole thing with me was being extremely happy with a program where I know Iβm most comfortable with and where I know my heart first led me,β Williams said during his announcement. βThat was with coach Miller and the University of Arizona.β
Rated No. 37 overall in the class of 2018 by ESPN and No. 31 by 247Sports, Williams was something of a question mark when he initially committed to the Wildcats in June 2017. He was sidelined for nearly a year because of an unusual congenital bone issue above his knee, and had surgery in January 2017 when it failed to respond to other treatment.
But Williams returned to the court last fall and played well as a senior for Crespi High School, even as his playing time was initially restricted for medical reasons. He averaged 24.7 points and 2.7 assists while scoring 52 points in one overtime game last season.
βFirst and foremost, theyβre getting a quality individual,β Crespi coach Russell White said at the Ballislife game. βHeβs gone through tons of adversity, handled it with utmost class.
βTalent-wise heβs the cream of the crop. Heβs gonna be ready to go. Heβs excited. I know heβs gonna do some good things. He can pass, he can score. He can dribble. And heβs worked on his defense a little bit but he knows that.β
Williamsβ play last season only served to increase attention on him when he decided to start looking around again in March. He visited Oregon the weekend of April 13 and then visited Gonzaga last weekend, considering how he might play alongside veteran combo guards Payton Pritchard (Oregon) or Josh Perkins (Gonzaga).
βThereβs just a little different landscape to each of the teams,β Williamsβ stepfather, Chris Wright, said last week. βGonzaga is returning almost their whole roster and has a lot of veteran players, and Oregon has five of their core players returning plus a great freshman class. And he would be a big piece if he returned back to Arizona, helping them make the (NCAA) Tournament.β
Williams will have a chance to take over the starting point guard job from the departed Parker Jackson-Cartwright immediately. While Williams will have to beat out two other former four-star recruits for the job β Samford grad transfer Justin Coleman and returnee Alex Barcello β all of them have the ability to play off the ball and find minutes elsewhere.
Coleman also left no doubt he welcomed the addition of Williams on Saturday.
β@TheeBWill LETβS GET IT!!!β Coleman tweeted after Williamsβ announcement, adding βbear downβ emojis.
The Wildcats also have depth on the wings, with returning sophomores Brandon Randolph, Emmanuel Akot and Dylan Smith. With five recruits now in their rebuilt class of 2018, the Wildcats have 11 players overall lined up for next season.
UA has two scholarships left to give, and its frontcourt would be strengthened considerably with a commitment from Brown, a prospect that may have improved Friday when Brown reportedly canceled a planned official recruiting visit to Nevada.
Brown has Arizona, Nevada and Cal in his top three but has only one official visit left. Itβs possible that Brown could instead spend it at Arizona, though he also could visit Nevada on a self-paid unofficial visit since he lives nearby in Roseville, California.
Brown posted a photo to his Instagram story Saturday on the Nevada campus.
