Darien Williams, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior college forward who initially pledged to Iowa State, has committed to St. John’s, a source confirmed to SNY.tv.
He is eligible right away and will have three years of eligibility.
Williams sat out last season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders, according to the Des Moines Register. He averaged 16.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and made 41.1 percent of his 90 3-point attempts during the 2013-14 season at Iowa Western of Council Bluffs.
“I’m versatile, that’s the biggest thing,” he told SNY.tv by phone. “I can shoot the ball, I can handle the ball. I can rebound. I play defense. I just think I’m very versatile.”
He asked for his release from Iowa State and will end up following St. John’s assistant Matt Abdelmassih to Queens.
“It was a multitude of things but one, obviously with Matt going up there and me having a relationship with him that was big for me,” Williams said. “He’s been honest with me from the jump so that was important also. And Coach [Chris] Mullin coming, that was real big, too, obviously getting to the NBA is in your dreams and the style of offense he wants to play.
“Also, New York City, I’ve never been there before but my stepfather is from Brooklyn. I’ve done a lot of research on New York City on my own and I’ve always been intrigued by the East Coast. I want to major in communication arts so where else to study that?”
St. John’s on Wednesday also landed 6-10 Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens, who must sit a year.
Previously, 6-9 forward Chris Obekpa decided to return next season.
Photo: Rivals.com
