Mikey Williams reaffirms Memphis’ status as the Airbnb of college basketball

Penny Hardaway has struggled to keep her top rookies in <a class=Memphis.” data-srcset=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 80w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_140/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 140w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_265/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 265w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_340/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 340w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_490/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 490w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_645/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 645w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_740/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 740w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 965w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1165/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 1165w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1315/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 1315w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1465/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 1465w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1600/4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e.jpg 1600w” sizes=” (max-width: 25em) calc(100vw – 32px), (max-width: 37.31em) calc(100vw – 32px), (min-width: 37.37em) and (max-width: 49.94em) calc(100vw – 32px), (min-width: 50em) and (max-width: 63.69em) 800px, (min-width: 63.75em) and (max-width: 85.19em) calc(66.5vw – 32px), 800px ” draggable=”auto” data-chomp-id=”4b458b833804e5feda9c2c6d27065e2e” data-format=”jpg” data-alt=”Penny Hardaway has struggled to keep his best recruits in Memphis.” data-anim-src=””/>

Penny Hardaway has struggled to keep her top rookies in Memphis.
Image: Getty Images

The commitment of San Ysidro teammates Mikey Williams and JJ Taylor to play for Memphis next season would have been the biggest recruiting heist in college basketball two years ago. But for a variety of reasons, Penny Hardaway’s track record with unique Memphis phenoms has been worse than that of the now defunct Donda Academy. The Hoops stars don’t leave Memphis as frustrated as Kanye’s unaccredited high school, but it’s right behind.

Much of the blame doesn’t lie with Hardaway, which is likely why the top-notch recruits keep pouring in. Yet no coach has repeatedly found himself in Memphis’ inauspicious position in the past four years. The other elephant in the room is the plummeting stock of new Memphis recruits and the parallels with the stunted developments of their most recent one-and-downs.

In 2019, Hardaway roared out of the gates with a top 5 class with headlining big five stars James Wiseman and precious Achiuwa. Wiseman, the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior, only played three games before announcing his departure. Wiseman had lived up to the high standards set for him, but an off-court drama involving payments made by Hardaway to Wiseman’s family for moving expenses caused him to put college hoops in his rearview mirror.

A year after becoming the first sophomore to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Emoni Bates moved on to play in Memphis a year earlier alongside Jalen Duran. While Duran ended up being drafted in the lottery, Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and found the rim more often than the net.

Unfortunately, projections for Williams and Taylor have been on a downward trend for several years. Mikey Williams was once a freshman phenom with over a million Instagram followers before he started high school playing alongside AAU teammate Bronny James. Overall, he was considered the best player in his class in eighth grade. Williams’ edgy athleticism and supernatural scoring touch have been a staple of his game for years and basketball insiders have watched him since he was a pre-teen. Still, what Williams’ advantage is remains one of the biggest conundrums in prep hoops.

During his freshman season at San Ysidro High School in San Diego, Williams set several freshman records in California en route to being named MaxPreps Freshman of the Year. Since then, Williams has transferred several times and returned to San Ysidro for his senior year.

He’s a social media heavyweight, but his one-dimensional play and one-inch growth since college has undercut his value as an undersized combo guard. In 247 composite sports rankings, Williams dropped to 23rd while ESPN dropped him to 30th and stripped one star from his five-star rating. Williams’ social media fame has exceeded his game. He has never been part of USA Basketball, passed up opportunities to participate in FIBA ​​events which could give a better idea of ​​where he stands compared to peers.

However, Instagram’s popularity doesn’t always translate to Division I hoops. Bates’ problem was his father’s interference, poor athleticism, strength due to being thinner than a 90s month and her overstated sweater.

Williams will be joined in Memphis by San Ysidro teammate JJ Taylor. Taylor, recently left Donda Academy after the program was essentially scuttled overnight. The 6ft 8in striker is the prototypical height of a striker and has previously been ranked in the top five on all major recruiting ranking platforms. Since November 6, it is 45th on Rivals and ESPN and 117th in the 247 Sports rankings. Like Bates, Taylor was considered a KD clone. Given its current trajectory, it may be closer to Bates’ ceiling than KD’s stratosphere.

Bates freshman year was so disappointing it left a scratch on the Memphis program that nearly cost Hardaway his job, which makes Williams and Taylor’s commitments so monumental. That means Memphis is still a hot spot for big-name rookies with questionable plays.

Bates and Wiseman’s implosions haven’t deterred Williams and Taylor from committing to it for next season, but it will make the Memphis 2023 team the most random powder keg in college basketball.

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