The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1252590
32 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2020 2 0 2 0 B A S K E T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G I S S U E BY CLAYTON SAYFIE A s soon as Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga High four-star small forward Terrance Wil- liams decommitted from Georgetown in early December, his phone blew up. Plenty of programs could have used the big man's ser- vices, but the first coach to call ended up being the one that sealed the deal in the end. "When I first decommitted from Georgetown, Juwan Howard was the first person that called, and he was the first person to come and watch me play after I decommitted," Wil- liams said. "That meant a lot to me, and that's when I was like, 'I have to get on campus to see how it looks.' "The first thing with Michigan that impressed me was that Juwan How- ard was very genuine." The 6-7, 210-pounder made the trip to Ann Arbor later that month to see U-M up close. He attended the Wol- verines' blowout victory over UMass Lowell Dec. 29, and loved the Crisler Center experience. "When I got on campus, school was out, but I just really liked the environment at the game," Williams said. "Even though the students were gone, the game was packed, and it was very loud. The fans are very crazy, and that was part of the reason why I chose Michigan." He also observed Howard and his interactions with everyone who has a hand in U-M's program, something that impressed him even more. "He just cares about his players a lot," Williams said. "When I was there, he literally talked to every player. He interacted in practice with every single player. He's a hands-on type of coach, and that's what I feel like I can play under. "He's very honest. He tells you when you're doing good, but he also tells you when you're doing bad. He's a very honest person, which is really what I want to play under. "Off the court, he interacts with everybody. We were walking around Crisler Center and the practice arena, and he's saying what's up to all the janitors. Everybody he meets, he's saying hello. He's being nice to every single person he meets, and that's a big factor to me." In addition to the up-close look at Howard, Williams came to Ann Arbor searching for more insight WILLING AND ABLE Team-First Terrance Williams Is Ready To Play Any Role That Is Asked Of Him Williams was listed as a consensus four-star recruit by the three major recruiting services, each of which ranked him among the top 103 players nationally. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/COURTESY RIVALS.COM