The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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64 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2020 BASKETBALL RECRUITING Williams' visit went so well that he actually committed the night of his visit — he just didn't announce it. He told Howard and sophomore guard David DeJulius, one of his hosts, at dinner, an occasion that became a celebration. The four-star prospect was told he'll play both the three and the four in U- M's system, and he's fine with either. "They will use me as like a hybrid, basically modeling it after [junior] Isa- iah Livers and what he does, really, because we're like the same height," Williams said. "They compared me re- ally to him, playing the three and four, because I can shoot the ball, space the floor out, and play guard and forward sometimes, stuff like that. "One thing I like about them is they are a very fast-paced offensive tempo. They shoot a lot of threes. You'll get to drive and kick, so a lot of screen and rolls, down screens, coming off screens being prepared to shoot, stuff I like to play in." Williams was more big man than wing growing up, so he learned how to use his wide frame to score inside. He's since expanded his game to be- come a very good shooter. "That was a big focus for me since I'm not the most athletic guy," he admitted. "I just had to use other things in my game and improve on them very heavily, and shooting is one of them." Using his body to finish, though, was and remains natural. "Growing up, I was always the tallest person, playing center," he said. "I was already really big for my age. I kept growing, getting stronger, so I've always been able to use my body, really." Williams would love to play a lot as a freshman, but he's been made no guarantees. Much depends on next year 's roster, but he's in it for the long haul, regardless. "They have talked to me about playing, but it doesn't guarantee anything," he said. "I don't know whether I'm coming in and playing or not. I just want to get better, learn the system. Hopefully I can play, but if not it will be a learning experience and I'll stick it through."❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan basketball recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com. After decommiting from Georgetown, Terrance Williams of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga — the No. 100 overall player in the nation according to Rivals.com — quickly bonded with U-M head coach Juwan Howard and joined the Wolverines. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM NOTES • Terrance Williams and Hunter Dickinson were AAU teammates with Team Takeover and talked about playing together in college while in high school. They went their sepa- rate ways temporarily, but Dickinson helped recruit his friend to U-M. The duo was outstanding on the AAU circuit. Dickinson averaged 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Williams compiled 15.6 points and 5.6 boards per contest. Williams made 36 percent of his three-point- ers in becoming one of his friend's fa- vorite targets in the high-low game. "He brings a very big inside pres- ence, can pass the ball very well, has a good hook shot, knows how to get good position and is a good passer," Williams said of Dickinson. "When we were with Team Takeover, we used to work the high-low and be unstoppable. " That's one thing we are really looking forward to in the future at Michigan. One thing we can bring together is our chemistry." • Williams was offered by Michigan assistant Phil Martelli when Martelli was still the head coach at Saint Jo- seph's. Martelli started working on Williams immediately when he got to U-M, and that got the ball rolling for head coach Juwan Howard. "He was very well respected," Wil- liams said. "One thing I remember from the visit, they call him ' The Godfather.' He's very respected in the basketball community. I trust what he does because he has a lot of experience." Williams averaged 18.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this year on the high school level. He scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds in what was likely his final prep game, a 55-49 win over Wilson in the D.C. State Athletic Association Class AA boys' basketball championship game. — Chris Balas