After landing the highest recruit since James Harden in forward Taeshon Cherry, Bobby Hurley and ASU basketball are looking to snatch a second top-35 caliber player in the country in Crespi Carmelite High School point guard Brandon Williams.
Similar to Tra Holder and Shannon Evans, Williams is an explosive point guard who can get to any spot on the floor with his shooting ability and speed, but unlike Evans and Holder, the Southern California product has a stronger physical frame that can help him score with more ease underneath.
Williams, who originally committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats next season, decided instead to reopen his recruitment after a scandal at the University that allegedly revealed that head coach Sean Miller offered money to top tier prospect DeAndre Ayton.
Williams was the Wildcats' last 2019 recruit, so with his decommitment, UA now does not have any recruits for the 2019 season.
"He's going to come in and do some great things if he's got the right pieces around him," Crespi High School head coach Russell White said.
247 Sports ranks Williams as the No.7 point guard in the country and by many accounts, he is the No.1 uncommitted point guard remaining in the nation.
Williams has expressed plenty of interest in playing for the Sun Devils, saying that Bobby Hurley’s team fits his style of play. Williams took an unofficial visit to the University, and Hurley and his entire staff visited the former UA commit on March 25 before Williams' visit to Tempe.
Outside of his interest in ASU, Williams has also taken official visits to the Gonzaga University and the University of Oregon.
In addition to those schools, Williams has still not counted out UA as a possibility as reports have indicated that Sean Miller himself will visit the five-star point guard on Monday to “show him a couple ideas.”
With three senior guards graduating next season the Sun Devils will need a third guard to go along with the duo of Rob Edwards and Remy Martin.
Although Remy Martin was effective as the Sun Devils' sixth man last season, the young ASU guard was never asked to be a main playmaker and facilitator.
Edwards, on the other hand, is a redshirt sophomore who had to sit out this past season after transferring from Cleveland State University, where he averaged 16.5 points per contest.
After being on the sidelines for a whole year, it may be too much to ask Edwards to take over as ASU’s top perimeter threat at guard.
With Edwards and Martin not totally ready to take on the role as ASU’s top guard threat, the door is wide open for Williams to come in as a day-one starter who can score on his own and set up ASU’s forward-heavy lineup of players such as Taeshon Cherry, Lugentz Dort, Elias Valtonen, Zylan Cheatham and Kimani Lawrence to score.
"He has a college-level body," White said. "He can jump, he's quick, he's fast."
What ASU lacks right now is that consistent scoring and attacking threat at point guard who can control the pace of the game at the top of the key.
In Williams, the Sun Devils could inherit not only a player who possesses all of those abilities, but who executes those abilities at a five star level. Bobby Hurley and company should do everything they can to bring Williams to Tempe.
Reach the columnist at kbriley@asu.edu and on twitter @KokiRiley.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 500 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
