In the last twelve months, no high school basketball prospect in the country has risen in recruiting rankings as quickly as Perry high school senior Cody Williams. This morning in front of friends, family, and media Williams announced his commitment to the University of Colorado.
Entering the beginning of junior year, Williams was unranked by Rivals, but already received offers from Arizona State, USC, and Texas. Entering early signing day, Williams totaled 21 offers and is currently ranked No. 42 overall in the country for the class of 2023.
Although Williams was recruited by top national programs including USC and Tennessee, the commitment is a homecoming for Williams as he was born in Colorado before moving to Arizona at a young age with his family.
Colorado was the first school that Williams officially visited back in August just two months after receiving an offer from the Buffaloes.
During the Summer, Williams saw his recruitment reach another level after participating in the Section Seven tournament with Perry.
During the event, Tommy Lloyd, head coach of the Arizona Wildcats offered Williams as did head coach Mick Cronin of the UCLA Bruins. Shortly after, both Tennessee and TCU offered as well.
What makes Williams such a coveted wing in the 2023 class is the fact he’s still evolving in his game on top of already having a special six-foot-eight frame that translates to any level.
Player Breakdown
With that frame, Williams uses his long arms and fluid mobility on the perimeter to be disruptive on the defensive end, but he is still improving on that end of the court. He’s still filling out his frame which does create issues at times trying to finish against someone bigger, but Williams does drive to the paint using his left hand and creates issues with defenders that have weaker footwork than him as he can finish with both hands. Williams is also developing a three point shot as evidenced by the gradual growth in attempts throughout high school and on the club circuit. He’s not a sharpshooter from the perimeter but shows the same touch and improvement his older brother Jalen showed at the same point in high school. Overall his ceiling due to his gifts on the offensive end is high and Tad Boyle will be able to maximize those abilities while Williams is at Colorado.
In the present
As of now, Williams enters the season as one of the contenders to win Arizona Gatorade player of the year and 6A conference player of the year amongst other awards. Perry also enters this season nationally ranked and expected to be the favorite to win the Arizona open division bracket largely due to Williams. This could be a season that pushes Williams into the historic company of other Arizona basketball legends.
What’s Next?
Williams joins another nationally ranked recruit from California as the current 2023 class for Colorado. As it stands now, Williams is the highest rated basketball recruit in school history and will have the ability to make an impact immediately on campus. With the transfer portal and constant movement from recruits, it is hard to gauge what the lineup around Williams will be but I do expect coach Boyle to utilize his strengths and allow him to use his slashing ability and mid-range shot to open up the offense.
