Former Missouri forward Johnathan Williams III to transfer to Gonzaga

Former Missouri forward Johnathan Williams III announced Saturday on Twitter that he would transfer to Gonzaga.

Williams, who was the Tigers’ leading scorer last season and leading rebounder the last two seasons, had narrowed his list to the Zags, Georgetown and Southern Methodist.

As a sophomore, Williams averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds last season for Missouri, which went 9-23 overall and finished last in the SEC.

He also averaged 0.6 blocks with 0.8 assists and 0.3 steals.

Williams, who averaged 6.5 boards as a freshman, arrived in Columbia as a four-star recruit from Southwind High School in Memphis. He was ranked as the No. 13 power forward and No. 42 player overall in the 2013 class by Rivals.

Williams decided to transfer in late March.

Initially, he was barred from transferring within the SEC or to any Big 12 school or Arizona, but the Big 12 restriction was dropped when Missouri was not included in the Big 12/SEC Challenge for the next two years.

Williams will have to sit out next season, but he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2016-17. He was considered the top remaining transfer on the college basketball market.

This story was originally published May 30, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Former Missouri forward Johnathan Williams III to transfer to Gonzaga."