Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Latavious Williams Headed Overseas; Lance on Campus at UC
Latavious Williams is the latest American player to head overseas to play hoops.
The 6-foot-8, 205-pound native of Starkville, Miss. had committed to play for Memphis head coach Josh Pastner, but will pursue a pro career instead.
“It was a difficult decision,” Williams said in an official press release that appeared on Rivals.com. “But after consulting with a number of people, and taking my family situation into consideration, playing overseas is the best move for me.
“It will not be an easy transition, but I have surrounded myself with a core of very competent people who I trust and who have my best interests at heart, so I am confident that things will work out very well.”
Williams, who has yet to qualify academically, has yet to officially notify Pastner of the decision.
“Obviously if a kid has a chance to play professionally and have a chance financially to better him and his family, again, you have to support the kid because that’s No. 1,” Pastner told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “For us, you can’t cry over spilled milk. We have to deal with what we have to deal with and the squad we’ve got. We’ve got a good core group, and we have to coach them up and be extremely positive.”
Trey Godfrey, an advisor to Williams, said the young man has yet to hire an agent and that he hasn’t determined which country he’ll play in.
“It’s a done deal,” Williams told Jerry Meyer of Rivals. “We’re trying to work something out in China.”
Brandon Jennings, an American high school star, skipped college last year to play professionally in Italy and ended up being the No. 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Jeremy Tyler, a 6-10 junior from San Diego, will play professionally overseas for two years before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.
And two American college guards, Nick Calathes of Floridaand Terrence Oglesby of Clemson, are also headed to Europe to play professionally.
**Here’s a good story on Lance Stephensonarriving on campus at Cincinnati from the Cincy Enquirer. Stephenson still hasn’t spoken to the media since SNY broke his commitment on June 30.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Latavious Williams is the latest American player to head overseas to play hoops.
The 6-foot-8, 205-pound native of Starkville, Miss. had committed to play for Memphis head coach Josh Pastner, but will pursue a pro career instead.
“It was a difficult decision,” Williams said in an official press release that appeared on Rivals.com. “But after consulting with a number of people, and taking my family situation into consideration, playing overseas is the best move for me.
“It will not be an easy transition, but I have surrounded myself with a core of very competent people who I trust and who have my best interests at heart, so I am confident that things will work out very well.”
Williams, who has yet to qualify academically, has yet to officially notify Pastner of the decision.
“Obviously if a kid has a chance to play professionally and have a chance financially to better him and his family, again, you have to support the kid because that’s No. 1,” Pastner told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “For us, you can’t cry over spilled milk. We have to deal with what we have to deal with and the squad we’ve got. We’ve got a good core group, and we have to coach them up and be extremely positive.”
Trey Godfrey, an advisor to Williams, said the young man has yet to hire an agent and that he hasn’t determined which country he’ll play in.
“It’s a done deal,” Williams told Jerry Meyer of Rivals. “We’re trying to work something out in China.”
Brandon Jennings, an American high school star, skipped college last year to play professionally in Italy and ended up being the No. 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Jeremy Tyler, a 6-10 junior from San Diego, will play professionally overseas for two years before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.
And two American college guards, Nick Calathes of Florida and Terrence Oglesby of Clemson, are also headed to Europe to play professionally.
**Here’s a good story on Lance Stephenson arriving on campus at Cincinnati from the Cincy Enquirer. Stephenson still hasn’t spoken to the media since SNY broke his commitment on June 30.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
