Arizona Basketball: Brandon Williams much anticipated McKale debut

Arizona Basketball freshman guard Brandon Williams will play in the 2018 Red and Blue game. Seeing Williams play in an Arizona uniform will be so sweet.

Arizona Basketball freshman guard Brandon Williams has been waiting since about Jr. High to play in McKale Center as a Wildcat. He’s dreamed of wearing the cardinal red and navy blue for quite some time. Williams recommitted to Arizona Basketball at the BallIsLife All-American game where he competed quite competently against talent that was invited to multiple national showcases proving he was of the same caliber.

Williams had paid attention when SoCal Mater Dei local Stanley Johnson helped lead Arizona to the Elite 8, according to Bruce Pascoe. Williams was in seventh grade at the time.

One thing is for sure with Williams, he is an extremely likable young man, and very fun to cheer for. In high school, Crespi HS in California, you would find him most of the time with the ball in his hands making plays and driving to the rim. All eyes were on B-Will, and it didn’t phase him in the least. Quite opposite, he thrives for competition. He perseveres and is laser-focused on his goals. He is relentless in pursuit of his goals and so far so good.

As far as a school he wanted to play for while recovering and playing out his senior season, Williams always kept Arizona and Sean Miller in his heart. One big reason was that when Williams had a congenital issue with his right knee and he and his family decided to have surgery before his senior season, schools stopped talking to Williams. Sean Miller didn’t. Miller continued to believe in Brandon and never wavered in his support for the young man. This was huge for Brandon. His dream was alive and his goals remained, to be a star guard for the University of Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona Wildcats

Now, the big day is coming! The day he gets to step on the court in the McKale Center in front of his adoring fans who have supported him and shown their excitement for his commitment over year or more. Just as much as Williams wanted to come to Arizona, Tucson has wanted Williams.

I will never forget last year at this time. I traveled to Tucson for the Red and Blue game alone. I bought one seat. It just so happened that the seat was in the same section as the player’s parents and the visiting student-athletes who would watch the upcoming festivities. The prospective recruits filed in early and I was there early, I couldn’t wait.

First in line was Shareef O’Neal, then Brandon Williams, followed by Nico Mannion (now committed) and Josh Christopher (has not committed yet). I had the pleasure of interviewing all but Nico Mannion in Los Angeles at various events. Each one greeted me with a huge smile and hug, they all had recognized me! For a super fan, that was a thrill for me. It was one of the best moments in my young broadcasting career. We had all met in Los Angeles and now we were all in Tucson for the big game to watch DeAndre Ayton, Brandon Randolph, Emmanuel Akot, Alex Barcello, and Ira Lee’s freshman debut.

Zona Zealots also covered Williams signing at Crespi, and his re-announced commitment to Arizona in Cerritos, he was the main event. We also covered several of his high school games through the playoffs.

So when B-Will hits the floor at McKale in his Arizona Basketball uniform, I will need a kleenex close by to wipe my happy tears. Not only happy tears but a proud smile. Following this young man for a few years now, I have come to highly respect his skills, his love of family and his never give up attitude. He has inspired me to not give up.

Arizona head coach Sean Miller feels Brandon is a very coachable player, according to Anthony Gimino of the College Sports Maven. Miller has observed Brandon and had this to say, “He doesn’t show up with all the answers. There is no de-programming with him. He comes from a great high school basketball program and family. His teammates enjoy being around him. He’s eager to learn and listen.”

Williams is just not a shooter, Williams is a skilled passer, he can play any guard position in my opinion. Miller has a flexible coachable player who wants to be the best he can be and give it his all.

Miller also had this to say about Williams at Pac-12 Media day this past week:

"“The last player for us for me to talk about is Brandon Williams, and I think Brandon will be one of the best freshmen that plays in our conference. Plays both the one and the two. He’s got a 6-foot-6 wingspan, 6-foot-2, so he’s a bigger guard, can really score, and very dynamic in the open court. I think we’ll rely on him a lot, both in his playmaking and scoring ability, and I look at him as making a big impact.”"

B-Will is adjusting to school and college basketball, but you can see from this interview that he is having a great time.

Apparently, Williams and Emmanuel Akot disagree on who is the best Fortnight player, gotta love their competitive spirit!

Here is my interview with Brandon right after he recommitted to play Arizona Basketball. It was a very emotional day for Brandon, his family and me (Yeah that’s me yelling in the background. At FanSided we are Professional Fans, so it’s okay):

For now, I will get my kleenex ready as I cannot wait for this weekend and watching one of Arizona’s brand new Wildcats step on the court!  Bear Down and have fun B-Will, you deserve it!