Five-star wing Ziaire Williams chose Stanford over Arizona, USC and North Carolina on Sunday, helping put the Cardinal in position to challenge for the Pac-12 title next season.
Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straightProverbs 3:5-61000% CONFIDENT AND COMMITTED‼️❤️🌲 pic.twitter.com/kYrtDuK5Bd
— Ziaire Williams (@therealZiaire) April 12, 2020
A 6-8 forward from Los Angeles, Williams visited Arizona for its Nov. 1 exhibition game with Chico State last season but his recruitment was kept mostly quiet even as speculation rose that USC and Stanford had made particular inroads with him.
After Williams led Sierra Canyon to the CIF Southern Section title on Feb. 28 in Long Beach, Calif., a school official prohibited any questions that involved Williams’ recruitment. Of course there was still plenty to talk about: Against Mater Dei High School in that game, Williams had had 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting, 5-for-6 free throws, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block with only one turnover.
"I was trying to do whatever it takes to win -- rebound, score, find the open man, just whatever it takes," Williams said, still grinning long after the photos had been taken and trophies handed out. "I've been waiting for this game my whole high school career so that was definitely where the motivation came from. But we just got it done. It was definitely a team effort for sure."
Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said Williams had been playing unselfishly throughout the season, but took charge more as the playoffs went on.
“The last few games, he's just been wonderful,” Chevalier said then. “He's been scoring, rebounding, assisting and doing everything so and we need him to do that to get all the way through.”
Williams played point guard for Sierra Canyon, while also defending and scoring inside, showing off a remarkable skillset for his size. After the game, he attributed that to his upbringing on the court.
“When I was little I was taller (than other kids) but shout out to my dad --- he never had me play the post,” Williams said. “I was always a guard. Somehow I ended up being 6-9 with guard skills. It’s just a blessing from the man above.”
Arizona has four scholarship spots available for the 2020-21 season. Among other targets the Wildcats are still pursuing include: Minnesota high school wing Kerwin Walton, San Francisco grad transfer wing Charles Minlend, Purdue grad transfer forward Matt Haarms and international big men.
In the past week, Arizona secured a commitment from Seattle U transfer Terrell Brown while losing out on Santa Clara guard transfer Trey Wertz (who picked Notre Dame), Long Beach State center transfer Joshua Morgan (USC) and Kentucky wing transfer Johnny Juzang (UCLA).
At Stanford, Williams will join all-league forward Oscar da Silva, standout guard Daejon Davis, all-Pac-12 defensive pick Bryce Wills and possibly all-freshman guard Tyrell Terry, who declared for the NBA draft while keeping open the option to return to school.
Terry averaged 14.6 points last season, the second-highest scoring average for a freshman in Stanford history and displayed skills and athleticism that could move him into the first round -- in which case he is unlikely to return to school.
UNLV grad transfer Amauri Hardy says he's headed to Oregon. Arizona had been recruiting Hardy until Seattle U guard Terrell Brown committed to the Wildcats last week.
New Beginnings...🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/kiU9FDGUPI
— Amauri Hardy (@Amauri_Hardy) April 12, 2020
