KU/K-State basketball target Donovan Williams adjusts recruiting plan in trying times
Donovan Williams is stuck in recruiting purgatory.
Just when it seemed like the four-star guard from Lincoln, Nebraska, was ready to visit a few campuses and earnestly sort through his college basketball options, the coronavirus pandemic intervened.
All in-person recruiting has been suspended until at least April 15, meaning he may no longer be able to make official visits to Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas as he originally planned. Williams holds scholarship offers from all three schools and is also receiving recruiting interest from Kansas, Texas A&M and Villanova.
He wanted to announce his decision by the middle of April. Now he’s hoping to do so in May. But it’s impossible for him to commit to a definitive plan at the moment.
“It is pretty frustrating, because I don’t know how long this is going to last,” Williams said in a phone interview. “I might not get to take any visits at all. That is what it is looking like. I’m pretty bummed out, because the first thing that I said when I de-committed (from Nebraska) was, ‘Now I get to be a real recruit and go through the whole process like everyone else in the country does.’
“I made lots of unofficial visits, which were good. But I didn’t get to absorb the love or put on jerseys and take pictures. At the end the day, I know none of that really matters. It’s all about choosing the right school. But I was looking forward to doing all that stuff.”
As he waits to see what the future holds, Williams is staying in shape as best he can. He says his family has access to a public gym, and he is making daily visits there to stay on top of his game.
If there is a silver lining to this unusual situation, he thinks he might be able to keep improving as a basketball player while others remain stagnant.
“I’m not saying everybody is like this, but a lot of guys are going to take this time to chill and play video games,” Williams said, “but I am going to be in the gym like always just trying to get better before I get to college.”
College coaches remain interested in Williams. After attending several of his high school games during the season, K-State coach Bruce Weber remains in constant contact with him. He is the Wildcats’ top current recruiting priority.
Williams said Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton also calls regularly, and he spoke with Texas coach Shaka Smart on Monday.
It’s easy to see why they like him as a player. Williams averaged nearly 30 points as a high school senior and is one of the top unsigned guards available for the 2020 recruiting cycle.
Williams made a pair of unofficial visits to Kansas and one to Texas A&M last season. He is holding out hope either school, or Villanova, will offer him a scholarship.
In the case of the Jayhawks, he says “they need to see what their roster looks like in a couple weeks.”
For now, his focus is mostly on K-State, Oklahoma State and Texas.
He speaks fondly of all three.
On K-State: “I could see myself going there and playing right away and making an immediate impact on both ends of the court. They probably show the most love of any school in terms of calling me and sending me letters. They probably send three or four letters a week and they are all hand-written. If they are taking time out of their day to do that then that just shows how much they care.”
On Oklahoma State: “They have got a lot of talent coming in and their head coach is willing to call me all the time. He is just a great guy. He is really prioritizing me. I don’t think that they would take any guy in the country over me right now. I feel their main focus is me. Cade (Cunningham, the nation’s No. 1 rated recruit) is a big influence on why I would go there. He is such a great player and I could work with him and use him to get better and make a good NCAA Tournament run next year.”
On Texas: “Everybody says if you go to Texas you fall in love with it, or Austin at least. I am ready to get down there and experience the love in Austin, put on a Longhorn jersey and take my official and take some pictures. I feel like that is a place where I could really grow, not just as a player but as a person. I just think it is a great community and a place where I could be away from home and learn how to do stuff that regular humans have to do after basketball.”
Williams isn’t the only recruit K-State basketball coaches are targeting for this recruiting class. Though the Wildcats only have one free scholarship at the moment, they could end up with more.
Junior guard Cartier Diarra may decide to test the professional waters rather than return to college for his senior year of college basketball. There is also a possibility that some of K-State’s other returning players decide to transfer, though none of them are currently rumored to be looking elsewhere.
Weber has said he would like to bring in as many as seven new players during this cycle. The Wildcats have already signed four incoming freshmen and have added UTEP transfer Kaosi Ezeagu to the roster, leaving space open for as many as two more late additions.
Here is a look at K-State’s other main recruiting targets as the offseason begins:
Carlton Linguard
With the departures of reserve forwards James Love and Nigel Shadd the Wildcats could use another big body in the post. Linguard would certrainly fulfill that need. The 6-foot-11 center who spent last season at Temple (Texas) Junior College seems ready to help a team down low next season.
K-State has been recruiting Linguard for quite a while, and so have several other recognizable programs. Lingaurd has 12 offers from schools, including K-State, Colorado, New Mexico, TCU, Texas A&M, Tulsa and USC.
Rivals lists Linguard as a four-star recruit and one of the nation’s top unsigned junior-college transfers.
Seryee Lewis
The Wildcats recently entered the Seryee Lewis sweepstakes when they extended him a scholarship offer over the weekend. A 6-8 power forward, he is currently enrolled at Compass Prep school in Phoenix.
Lewis could help provide depth inside for K-State next season. He also has offers from St. John’s, Oklahoma and Georgetown.
Andersson Garcia
If K-State can’t land Williams, or ends up needing more help on the wing, Andersson Garcia is emerging as a possible option. The Wildcats offered Garcia a scholarship last week. He is a 6-foot-7 swingman who plays for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. He is originally from the Dominican Republic. K-State is the only power-conference team currently recruiting him. He has offers from Arkansas State, East Tennessee State, Georgia Southern and South Alabama.
Kevin Marfo
It’s unclear if the Wildcats will try to get involved with Marfo, but he is a name to keep an eye on if for no other reason than that he led the nation in rebounding last season at Quinnipiac.
The 6-8 and 245-pound forward averaged a double-double of 10.2 points and 13.3 rebounds as a junior last season. He has since announced plans to play elsewhere next year as a graduate transfer.
K-State previously recruited Marfo when he was in high school. Marfo originally played at George Washington and then transferred to Quinnipiac. He will face stronger competition wherever he lands next, but that hasn’t stopped power-conference teams from reaching out to him. He has reportedly already heard from dozens of major programs.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "KU/K-State basketball target Donovan Williams adjusts recruiting plan in trying times."