One day after the news broke that 5-star combination guard Mikey Williams had committed to UCF, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound phenom was in the house Saturday at Addition Financial Arena to watch his new team take on the No. 18 BYU Cougars.
As UCF struggled to shoot the basketball Saturday, WIlliams probably wanted to jump out on the court. UCF hit just 29% of its floor shots and missed 12 of 33 free throws in losing to BYU 63-58.
In a whirlwind of events for the UCF basketball team this week, including a shocking victory over No. 3 Kansas on Wednesday night, the Knights ended up with a huge catch in Williams.
Due to the quick transfer and that UCF’s spring classes have already started, Williams’ enrollment is a bit tricky and still in process, so he could not comment as to whether he was enrolled yet. UCF officials said they could not comment as well.
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins also could not elaborate.
“I can’t comment on recruits in that regard. That’s an NCAA violation” Dawkins said. “I would love to, when that time comes, make a comment, but right now that’s not possible.”
Williams, who signed with Memphis in November 2022, never played a game for the Tigers because of a criminal matter involving a shooting outside his San Diego County home last March. He entered the NCAA transfer portal Monday.
“I like the vibe of the school, I like the coaches and I like the support that I got,” Williams said on Saturday. “I can just tell they’re serious and they want me here just off of my interactions with everybody. It feels like a home environment.”
He’s been through quite an ordeal with the criminal charges being brought against him.
San Diego County authorities said the then-18-year-old faced multiple counts of assault with a firearm and was released after posting a $50,000 bond.
The arrest stems from a March 17 shooting. An argument just before midnight ended with gunshots being fired at a car that was leaving the house with five passengers inside it, police said in a news release. Bullets hit the car, but nobody inside was injured, police said.
Williams eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in December.
He had faced nine felony counts and up to 30 years in prison, but in exchange for his guilty plea, the other eight counts were dismissed and Williams was ordered to complete a gun-safety course, attend anger-management sessions and do 80 hours of community service.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 12 in San Diego County Superior Court, when the lesser charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor if Williams follows terms of the deal and avoids any criminal offenses, San Diego attorney Randy M. Grossman said.
“It’s just been a lot of time to reflect. A lot of time to focus and I just thank God and give praise to God,” Williams said. “We all go through things. Everybody’s path is different, so I took the time to reflect off of it and I took it as a lesson.”
Williams, who has nearly four million followers on his @mikey account on Instagram, said he hasn’t been worried about his basketball future.
“I knew the details to everything that was going on and I just knew that God had my back,” Williams said, “so no matter to how it looked to anybody on the outside, the outcome is the outcome, so I am blessed and thankful.”
He said the pathway to his charges being dismissed is on track.
“I’m almost complete with everything,” he said. “I just have some more community-service hours.”
Williams said eighth-year UCF coach Dawkins did not recruit Williams out of high school, but he has landed a prize now.
Williams averaged 24.8 points and 9.2 assists a game for San Ysidro (Calif.) last year. The dynamic combo guard was the 34th-ranked player on ESPN’s most recent Top 100 list.
After entering the transfer portal, Memphis coach and former Orlando Magic star Penny Hardaway acknowledged the decision Wednesday.
“He has the right to do what he needs to do for himself, and I wish him well,” Hardaway told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
.According to the Associated Press, Williams is one of the NIL era’s earliest stars, securing a multiyear deal with shoe and athletic apparel maker Puma for an undisclosed amount in 2021. He has millions of followers across his social media platforms, and On3.com estimates his NIL valuation at $3.6 million.
Chris Hays covers high school and college football and college football recruiting. You can find him on X @OC_ChrisHays and on Instagram @OS_ChrisHays. He can be reached vis email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.
