The Big Lead

Top Recruit Ziaire Williams Commits to Stanford

By Ryan Phillips

Ziaire Williams at the Chipotle Clash Of Champions - Sierra Canyon v Minnehana Academy
Ziaire Williams at the Chipotle Clash Of Champions - Sierra Canyon v Minnehana Academy / Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
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Ziaire Williams is one of the top players in the 2020 basketball recruiting class, and on Sunday he committed to Stanford. A consensus top-10 recruit, Williams is the best player to commit to the Cardinal in the recruiting rankings era. On 247Sports' composite, Williams is the fifth-ranked player in the country.

So who is this new stud recruit? Williams is a 6-foot-7 small forward who can do it all. A McDonald's All-American, he averaged 15.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a senior. He also played really well in the Nike EYBL last summer, putting up 21.7 points per game and grabbing 6.8 rebounds.

Sierra Canyon was a powerhouse

Williams was the best player on Sierra Canyon, the nationally-famous squad out of Chatsworth, California. His teammates included LeBron James Jr. and Zaire Wade, along with fellow top 10 national recruit BJ Boston. It was a loaded squad and Williams was the best prospect on it.

The Trail Blazers went 30-4 before their season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were one of the top teams in California and MaxPreps had them ranked 15th in the nation when the season concluded.

Tyrell Terry's NBA decision looms large for Stanford

With Williams now committed, all eyes turn to the decision of freshman point guard Tyrell Terry. Terry put his name into the NBA draft but he likely would have needed a great pre-draft run to jump into lottery contention. With the pre-draft process almost certainly disrupted by the coronavirus shutdown, that probably won't be possible. Plus, the lure of playing with Williams could help Terry decide to return to school.

As a freshman, Terry averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists while hitting 40.8 percent of his 3-pointers. At 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, he really could use another year of growing and seasoning before jumping to the next level.

If he and Williams are both on the roster next season, Stanford might be the favorite in the Pac-12.

Senior year highlights

Here's a look at some highlights from Williams' senior year to show you what kind of a player he is.