(Photo Credit: Kim Klement- USA Today Sports)
Johnathan Williams III will officially transfer from the University of Missouri according to Steve Walentik of the Columbia Tribune. According to Walentik, Williams III father Johnny Williams believed his son did not have good chemistry with his teammates.
Williams III led the Tigers this past season with 11.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG as the teams starting power forward. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, but does not yet know where he will transfer according to CBS Sports Gary Parrish.
Williams father also cited that the recent departure of head assistant Tim Fuller did not factor into his decision. Fuller was the lead recruiter of Williams III and many other current player during the Frank Haith era.
The 6’9” forward out of Memphis was the biggest frontcourt threat for the Tigers and with the departure of Keanau Post the team lacks a dominant big man. Missouri is left with Ryan Rosburg, who will be a senior as the team’s most experienced power forward/center.
Experience was a major concern this past season for the Tigers and will continue to be heading into the 2015-16 season. Aside from the seniors Rosburg and Deuce Bello junior point guard Wes Clark and walk on guard Jimmy Barton are the only other upperclassmen.
A large portion of the teams success or failure rides on the sophomore class featuring Namon Wright, Jakeenan Gant, and Montaque Gill-Caesar. Wright and Gill-Caesar came on strong towards the end of last season, but will have an even larger load to carry in Williams III’s absence.
As of now Kim Anderson has three players signed for next year in Terrence Phillips, Cullen VanLeer, and Kevin Puryear, but it remains to be seen what their impact will be. Each is a three star recruit, but none have the size to replace Williams III.
As Anderson heads into his second year with the Tigers it should be interesting to see how he adds the size to make this team a bit more successful.
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2 comments
Nick, did you forget about Cullen Van Lear???
That’s my mistake. I thought Phillips was the other early signee, but you are correct it was VanLeer. Story is updated, thanks for the catch!
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