Memphis target Williams to announce decision
Memphis basketball could be on the verge of adding another high-profile transfer who might be available for the 2020-21 season.
Former Evansville forward Deandre Williams will announce where he plans to transfer on Friday afternoon, according to his former coach and mentor, Kenneth Roy.
Williams previously announced he is choosing between Memphis, Kentucky, Arkansas and Baylor.
The 6-foot-9 Houston native averaged a team-best 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 64.8 percent from the field at Evansville this past season. He would be a prime candidate to replace Precious Achiuwa in the Tigers’ frontcourt if he’s granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA.
“If he chooses Memphis, I think the city is going to love this young man,” said Roy, who is the coach and athletic director at the Nation Wide Academy in Oklahoma City. “They haven’t seen a player that can, at 6-9, handle the ball, make the kind of passes that he makes to the open guy, doesn’t force it, can score in the low post, mid-range, and can score the 3-ball and dribble drive.”
“He’s got four different ways he can score the basketball, and he’s such a great teammate,” Roy added. “He’s an energizer and I just think if he went to Memphis, he’s going to bring an element that Coach (Penny) Hardaway needs very badly at the four position.”
In addition to putting his name in the NCAA’S transfer portal this offseason, Williams also declared for the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Roy said Thursday that Williams had not yet withdrawn his name from the draft.
The NCAA extended the withdrawal deadline for college prospects indefinitely on Wednesday because the NBA’S pre-draft process is likely to be modified due to the coronavirus pandemic. Should Williams remain in college, it’s unclear at this point whether he would be available to play right away due to current NCAA transfer rules.
The NCAA is considering an adjustment to its rules that would allow firsttime transfers in men’s basketball, like Williams, to be eligible without sitting out for a season at their new school. But
the NCAA’S Board of Directors recommended against the immediate implementation of that rule change last month, which made it unlikely the rule change would go into effect in time for the upcoming academic year.
Williams, however, will have a compelling case to receive a waiver from the NCAA given what transpired at Evansville this year.
Former Evansville coach Walter Mccarty was placed on leave in December and then fired in January over sexual misconduct allegations. The school initially had an interim coach for eight conference games and then hired Todd Lickliter to permanently replace Mccarty. It meant Williams and his teammates had three coaches in one season.
Evansville, who beat then-no. 1 Kentucky in its second game of the year, finished the season with 19-straight losses after Mccarty was put on leave.
The NCAA previously did not grant Memphis waivers that would have allowed Lance Thomas and Isaiah Stokes, who transferred from Louisville and Florida, respectively, to play immediately for Hardaway.
Whatever school Williams picks, it will add to an unorthodox college journey that began back in the summer of 2015 when he was selected to participate in the NBPA top 100 camp ahead of his senior year of high school.
Williams is a 2016 graduate of Forest Klein High School in Houston, according to his Evansville bio, although Roy said that Williams finished up his high school degree via home schooling. Williams then played for Roy during the 2017-18 season at the Nation Wide Academy, a post-graduate program based in Oklahoma City.
Williams arrived at Evansville ahead of the 2018-19 campaign and was ruled ineligible as a partial qualifier by the NCAA.
He was classified as a sophomore by Evansville this past season and missed 14 games due to a back injury.
Williams nonetheless scored at least 20 points seven times, had the best debut by an Evansville player since 1986 with 26 points and nine rebounds, and registered the program’s first 20-point, 15-rebound, five-assist game since 1994.
Roy said Williams will be 23 years old and have two years of eligibility remaining when the 2020-21 season begins. Roy also confirmed Williams intended to announce his decision last week before further considering his options.
“Deandre felt last week he was being a little bit pressured and he didn’t like the fact that he was being pressured to make a decision last week, so he backed off a little bit,” Roy said. “We got some workouts in, took some stress off and now he’s ready to make his decision. He’s ready to move forward in his life.”
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto