Crespi High School star point guard Brandon Williams signed his Arizona Basketball scholarship papers today taking the next step to reach his longtime goal to be a Wildcat.
Early National Letter of Intent signing day came and went for Arizona Basketball fans, or so we thought! Brandon Williams dad Chris Wright had informed Bruce Pascoe, Arizona Daily Star, that his son wasn’t going to be signing a National Letter of Intent (NLI). Shareef O’Neal didn’t sign an NLI either which is understandable. But make no mistake about it, both young men are deeply committed to playing at Arizona. They spent a weekend with the Wildcats for the Red and Blue game, donned uniforms on center court at McKale, ate a bunch and played paintball.
O’Neal and Williams stay close and excited about next season, but first, they will play for a CIF Championship in their senior year of high school in Southern California. The two play 16 miles apart down the 405 freeway. They also played for the same AAU Team, California Supreme (under Head Coach Gary Franklin), but those days are behind them.
Arizona Wildcats Basketball
That said, any smart parent would make sure that if anything was to alter the status of their child’s future school program and/or coach, they’re son could adjust course as well.
According to Pascoe, Williams and his family agreed to sign non-binding scholarship papers instead of binding national letters-of-intent with the Arizona Wildcats. What does that mean? Essentially that he agreed to accept the scholarship, but with an “easy out” in case Arizona has issues or gets sanctioned as a result of the FBI probe.
We’ll take it!
When we got to the school, everyone was all smiles. His parents and family, his coaches, his friends and his Cal Supreme coaches. Williams was busy running sprints on the football field, then got into his Arizona gear and made his way to the bench outside in the lunch area.
It was a very joyous occasion. Dad, mom, and grandma took some time with us to share some memories leading up to this momentous day. Mom told me that Brandon had told her when he was little, I think it was five years old, that he was going to be an Arizona Wildcat. She asked him, “Son, how are you going to do that?” He assured her it was going to happen and he was right.
Williams grandmother told us about a board in his room where he lists his goals, the goals he needed to attain to make his dream of playing for the Wildcats come true. He stuck to the plan, and according to her, is incredibly focused. He doesn’t let anything distract from his goals.
The family is extremely welcoming, and the coaches couldn’t have been prouder of their prodigy. Williams friends had a lot of fun after the ceremony taking photos and selfies with the Crespi Senior.
We hope you all enjoy our video and you feel like you were there with us, celebrating the first signee of the 2018 Arizona class.
The real question is, who's next?🤷🏽♂️
— Brandon Williams (@TheeBWill) November 11, 2017
Officially a Wildcat❗️Can't wait🖊🐻🔽#SigningDay #UnFinishedBusiness
— Brandon Williams (@TheeBWill) November 10, 2017
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Who is next is right! We will have to wait and see. Zona Zealots wants to congratulate Brandon on making his dreams, and ours, come true! Bear Down!