Colorado lands first five-star recruit under Boyle

Five-star elder Cody Williams committed to Colorado connected Wednesday, giving the Buffaloes their archetypal five-star men's hoops imaginable successful astatine slightest 15 years.

Williams chose Tad Boyle's programme implicit LSU, though Arizona, UCLA and USC, among others, besides recruited him.

"The programme and the players are precise connected, and they person built a large culture," Williams told ESPN. "I spot myself arsenic portion of it. I emotion the unit and Coach Boyle. When Coach Boyle tells you something, you cognize it is the information whether it's connected oregon disconnected the court. It is to assistance you. He is simply a precise genuine person."

Williams is the younger member of Jalen Williams, the Santa Clara prima who came retired of obscurity to beryllium selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder successful the lottery of past year's NBA draft.

"My member was a tremendous assistance with the process," helium said. "He told maine what to look for successful a program. A spot I would fit, play, and learn. I spot myself achieving my goals successful Colorado. Playing successful the NCAA tournament, being 1 of the apical freshmen successful the state and someday successful the NBA. I program to instrumentality everything 1 measurement astatine a time."

A 6-foot-8 tiny guardant from Perry High School (Arizona), Williams is ranked No. 14 successful the ESPN 100 for the 2023 class -- slotting successful arsenic the No. 3 tiny guardant successful the country. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists successful 24 games with Vegas Elite connected the Nike EYBL circuit past outpouring and summer.

Williams, overmuch similar his brother, possesses unthinkable upside, and his ceiling is arsenic precocious arsenic anyone's successful the 2023 class. He was 1 of the biggest risers of the outpouring and summer, moving up much than 35 spots aft his stellar showings connected the grassroots circuit.

He has gradually moved himself from a imaginable to a subordinate with imaginable for more. Williams' versatility connected some ends is awesome with terrific positional size. Offensively, helium beats defenders with his 3-point shot, mediate crippled and thrust game. His scoring comes from his brushed interaction and fluid movements and his size enables him to people implicit smaller defenders. He tin make his ain changeable but is besides susceptible of uncovering teammates.

On the antiaircraft extremity is wherever helium could radiance successful the aboriginal acknowledgment to his footspeed and wingspan, and helium is making that a priority.

"I emotion defense," Williams said. "I americium focusing connected my defence due to the fact that astir bash not springiness it capable attention. My member is present getting playing clip due to the fact that helium has committed himself to guarding, switching and rebounding."

Williams is Colorado's archetypal five-star enlistee since the ESPN recruiting database began successful 2007 and the Buffaloes' archetypal ESPN 100 committedness since the 2021 class. He joins four-star defender Courtney Anderson, who picked Colorado earlier successful the fall.