KU Basketball: Five-star recruit Emmitt Williams dunks over opposition
By Joel Wagler
Recruiting is never done for the KU basketball team and big recruiting target Emmitt Williams is making some noise at the Peach Jam this summer.
Bill Self is getting ready for the 2018-2019 season already this summer, and he would love to pull in power forward Emmitt Williams for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Williams, who is 6’8″, 200 pounds, will attend IMG Academy in Florida this year. According to 247 Sports, Kansas is high on his list of schools. Their Crystal Ball has KU with a 33 percent chance of signing him, tied with the Florida Gators’ chances.
He is the sixth ranked power forward in the country right now, according to 247 Sports, and 16th overall.
Williams made some noise at the 2017 Peach Jam this week (video courtesy of Overtime).
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ESPN also has Williams as the sixth best power forward on their Top 100. Their scouting report has him as a dangerous player in transition.
"Emmitt has the ability to face, an ability that makes him valuable when you combine it with his 6’8 frame. He will not break people down from the perimeter mind you, but he can catch and shoot and put it on the floor passably."
Kansas does have some power forwards on their roster right now, but there is a chance Billy Preston leaves after one year. That still leaves Dedric Lawson and Mitch Lightfoot.
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Lawson, who has to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, was a beast as a sophomore at Memphis. He averaged 19.8 points and 10.2 rebounds. He might be hard to displace as a starter, especially having a year to prepare for the position.
Still, Williams might be able to carve out a starting spot as the second big man or earn plenty of minutes off the bench. Lightfoot is still a bit of a project right now, and it is unclear how he will develop through next season and into 2018.
If it looks like Preston might stay at Kansas more than one year, Williams might look elsewhere. Minutes might be harder to come by if Preston feels he needs more time to develop at the college level. It is way too early to predict either outcome, but it is something to consider as Self looks t build his team for the 2018-2019 season.
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It is still early in the recruiting season, but it seems as if the KU basketball team has a great chance to sign the young forward. The Jayhawks as always will be looking to reload, and Williams looks to be Self’s kind of player – mobile and athletic.
Maybe we will see him dunk over a few people in Jayhawks’ uniform!