It feels like every year there’s at least one prospect that scouts, coaches, and the general public see as drastically under-recruited among college programs. Guys like Chase Lowe, Toby Harris, and KJ Younger are just a few recent examples that immediately come to mind, but there’s minimally one per class. Ironically, those few names are among the many who ultimately panned out and exceeded expectations, but people tend to have selective memory. Now, it’s Travien Williams. Although folks across North Carolina have watched him dominate for three straight seasons, it appears that Division I coaches still need further convincing.
While it’s understood that recruiting has drastically changed and offers are less available than ever before, there’s simply no excuse for Williams’ lack of scholarships. For a kid who has grades, intangibles, experience, and production, what more do coaches want? If the exact same player were coming out of the transfer portal, he’d have a dozen offers. It’s plainly ridiculous. Instead, Williams continues to legitimately destroy every opponent in his path only to be overlooked by programs who actually need him. This sentiment rings true for both the high school and travel ball seasons, where he’s been consistently remarkable in front of college coaches.
This level of passion and emotion alone should relay that coaches are making a mistake. No one is going to sit here and risk their credibility for someone who isn’t good enough. Williams is absolutely good enough, but that should already be obvious at this point.
Regarding his actual game, Williams is a beast and the type of player coaches want leading their team. Able to get downhill literally whenever he wants, he’s an incredible penetrator who touches the paint with ease and finishes seemingly anything he attempts around the basket. Williams plays extremely well off two feet, sees the floor, and makes intelligent decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s a strong, crafty finisher who absorbs contact, bounces off defenders, and puts constant pressure on the rim. So, for a guy who can effortlessly break down opponents, touch the paint at will, and reliably finish or make the correct pass, it’s only natural that coaches want to challenge his shooting ability. “How well does he shoot it?” They ask as he has 30 points and 8 assists. At what point did we stop watching basketball and just start saying nonsensical stuff? Williams shoots the ball effectively from midrange and beyond the arc, but also doesn’t need to take a ton of jumpers. He’s more than capable of knocking down jumpers off the catch or bounce, and is comfortable relocating and applying pressure as a spot-up threat. In addition to Williams’ IQ, pace, smooth scoring polish, and sharp creation instincts, he’s a tough, physical defender and strong rebounder for his size. He does a tremendous job of utilizing his long arms and strong frame to stifle opposing guards at the point of attack. Williams rebounds his position and anticipates well to force turnovers, which leads to a ton of easy opportunities in transition. It’ll be fascinating to see what programs ultimately get involved with the star guard from Hickory Ridge and 1 of 1 Elite.