The WVU basketball team recently lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and now the Mountaineers lose big man Devin Williams.
On Tuesday morning, Devin Williams and the West Virginia basketball program announced that the junior standout will forego his senior season with the Mountaineers to enter the NBA Draft.
"“This is something I’ve thought about over and over, and I believe that this is the best decision for me and my family,” said Williams. “I can’t say enough about the three years I have had at West Virginia University. At the same time, I’m grateful to be in this position to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream.”"
Williams has been a starter for the Mountaineers for the past three seasons. As a freshman, he was thrust into the starting lineup and he really has improved each year since then.
He recorded his 1,000th career point in January and became only the 11th player in WVU basketball history to score 1,000 points and grab 800 rebounds in his career.
Devin Williams leaves West Virginia with 1,134 career points and 843 career rebounds.
"“We support Devin in his decision to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a professional basketball player,” said Huggins. “We wish him nothing but the best and appreciate his contributions and the impact that he has had on Mountaineer Basketball.”"
The move does not come as a shock as Williams likely maxed out his professional potential this season. As a junior, he was second on the team with 13.3 points per game and led the Mountaineers with 9.5 rebounds per game in a season where WVU finished 26-9.
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The fact that West Virginia’s season ended much more prematurely than it should have led some to believe that Williams would be back for his senior year to improve on the one-and-done status of this year’s tournament performance.
In the first round loss to Stephen F. Austin, which we incorrectly predicted two weeks ago, Williams led the WVU basketball team with 12 points in a 70-56 loss to the Lumberjacks.
Now, the question is where Williams will end up. Will he be drafted by an NBA team? Will he be playing overseas?
Likely, it will be the latter. Either way, Williams is getting a solid paycheck, thanks to his dedication and devotion to improving himself and the team he played with for the past three years.