Five-star small forward Cody Williams has committed to the University of Colorado.
Williams is the first five-star recruit to commit to Colorado under head coach Tad Boyle’s 13-year tenure. He is the younger brother of Jalen Williams who was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara.
According to ESPN, Williams is the 14th overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. He is the number three overall small forward recruit in the nation and Arizona’s highest-rated recruit this year.
Williams spoke to ESPN shortly after his commitment.
“The program and the players are very connected, and they have built a great culture,” Williams told ESPN. “I see myself as part of it. I love the staff and Coach Boyle. When Coach Boyle tells you something, you know it is the truth whether it’s on or off the court. It is to help you. He is a very genuine person.”
Williams measures in at 6-foot-8, 175-pounds and shined in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) last spring and summer. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with the Vegas Elite.
According to 247sports.com Director of Scouting, Adam Finkelstein, Cody Williams is further along in his development than his older brother Jalen was at Cody’s age.
“He’s a jumbo wing with terrific positional size at 6-foot-8, long arms, and a lot of fluidity as he covers the court,” Finkelstein said in Williams’ scouting report. “He’s very lean and not yet able to play through contact on a consistent basis, but there is a ton of natural talent to develop.”
Williams is the second commitment from the 2023 class for Boyle and the Buffs. Williams joins 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard Courtney Anderson who committed to CU on September 23rd.
247sports.com has Anderson ranked as a three-star recruit and the number 28 overall recruit in the state of California while ESPN has Anderson ranked as a four-star recruit.
Since becoming the head coach at CU in 2010, Tad Boyle has completely transformed Colorado’s basketball program. Boyle has the most NCAA Tournament appearances in program history (5) and will become the winningest head coach in CU history this season.
In 2021, Colorado’s recruiting class was ranked 13th in the nation by 247sports.com and included players Lawson Lovering, KJ Simpson, Quincy Allen, Javon Ruffin and Julian Hammond III.
According to 247sports.com, last year’s class took a step back as they were ranked 96th overall. However, transfers J’Vonne Hadley, Jalen Gabbidon and Ethan Wright have been able to become immediate contributors. Hadley led CU in points (16) and rebounds (8) in the season opener against UC Riverside while Gabbidon added 12 points of his own.
It’s an exciting time to be a Buff basketball fan as five of the top ten recruits in CU basketball history will be on the roster for 2023 and none of them will be seniors.
This year’s team is on the road until November 27th when they return to the CU Events Center to take on the Yale Bulldogs.
Before that, Colorado will be tested mightly as they take on the 11th ranked Tennessee Volunteers on November 13th and will be participating in the Myrtle Beach Invitational from November 17th-20th. Other teams invited to the Myrtle Beach Invitational include Murray State, Texas A&M, Loyola (Chicago), and Boise State.
Last year’s team was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament but if this year’s Buffs have a strong showing in their out-of-conference schedule, they could be setting themselves up for their first Tournament run since 2021.
