C.J. Williamson, a combo-guard or small forward from Orlando, Florida, became the second, and maybe last, commit for Tubby Smith in the 2015 class.
I write "last" because technically, Texas Tech only has two scholarships available for the 2015 season, one that will replace Robert Turner, and the second is an open scholarship. Of course, there could be transfers and things of that nature, but it wouldn't surprise me if Jordan Jackson and Williamson are the only two players as part of the 2015 class.
If anything, this speaks to Tubby Smith, Pooh Richardson and Joe Esposito getting after it on the recruiting trail and identifying these two players pretty early in the process and securing commitments from both of them. Those guys, along with Vince Taylor, work hard. Tireless really.
The best thing here, is that it seems like these guys are really out in front of it. They got Williamson to visit when they were having, what was essentially Texas Tech's version of midnight madness. Something that has never taken off here at Texas Tech. I have no idea how many people actually showed up, but it wasn't empty or embarrassing. I love the energy that Smith and the entire staff have in regards to the program. They really are working their tails off to build something special here.
GUARDS | |
---|---|
C.J. WILLIAMSON | COMBO GUARD |
HT/WT: 6-6/185 HIGH SCHOOL: Evans (Orlando, FL) VIDEO: Clip 1 | Clip 2 RECRUITING SERVICES: Rivals | Scout N/R ESPN N/A | 24/7 Sports 87 CUMULATIVE RANKING: 0.8420 VTM PROFILE DATE: October 20, 2014 OFFERS: Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Boston College, Kansas State, Murray State, South Florida, St. John's Texas, UCF, UTEP VCU |
THE PLAYER SPEAKS: Nothing thus far.
SCOUTING REPORT: Nothing makes me happier than to see shooting percentages of players. Even high school shooting percentages, because there may not be a more true indication of how well a player can play the actual game than shooting percentages. The highlight videos always look great, but shooting percentages never lie. As a junior at Evans in Orlando, Williamson averaged 11.7 points a game, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. That's filling up the box score. Here's the best part, Williamson shot 57% from the three-point line, yes 57%, 76% from the free throw line and 53% from the floor. That's really good. A lot of times you see players just take shots because they can.
Williamson's height makes his game even that much better, and the idea or thought of having two high school guards, that Tubby Smith is grooming for the future is going to be incredibly intriguing. The interesting thing will be if Williamson will really play the small forward spot or be a point forward? In this type of scenario, Jackson could guard the point and Williamson could guard the two-guard, I think he has plenty of athleticism to be able to do that. That sets up for an interesting offensive set, with Jackson being a slasher that has to work on his perimeter game.
As far as Williamson, he has a variety of moves in and around the basket, has plenty of leaping ability to go up and get a dunk and he obviously can handle the ball. In fact, he's really adept at handling the ball and that's seemingly pretty advanced. I'm not worried about that at all. In fact, I really like Williamson's ability to finish in and around the rim with a variety of moves, not just dunks. He's got a nice sort of shot-put short of shot inside that he can protect with a bigger defender, but still get the shot off.
C.J., welcome to Texas Tech and Git Your Guns Up!
The 2015 Class:
GUARDS | |
---|---|
JORDAN JACKSON | SHOOTING GUARD |
HT/WT: 6-3.175 HIGH SCHOOL: St. Pius (Houston, TX) VIDEO: Clip 1 RECRUITING SERVICES: Rivals | Scout N/R ESPN 78 | 24/7 Sports 84 CUMULATIVE RANKING: 0.8288 VTM PROFILE DATE: October 13, 2014 OFFERS: Bowling Green, Houston, Tulsa, Stephen F. Austin, Bryant University, Citadel, Long Island, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Rider, Sam Houston State, Texas Tech |
|
C.J. WILLIAMSON | COMBO GUARD |
HT/WT: 6-6/185 HIGH SCHOOL: Evans (Orlando, FL) VIDEO: Clip 1 | Clip 2 RECRUITING SERVICES: Rivals | Scout N/R ESPN N/A | 24/7 Sports 87 CUMULATIVE RANKING: 0.8420 VTM PROFILE DATE: October 20, 2014 OFFERS: Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Boston College, Kansas State, Murray State, South Florida, St. John's Texas, UCF, UTEP VCU |