6-foot-8 PG Cody Williams hears from Kentucky as stock rises
Around this time every recruiting cycle, a handful of under-the-radar recruits pop up on the national scene. With spring and summer AAU circuits along with multiple major camp opportunities on the yearly schedule, the kids with top-level talent are bound to get noticed at some point. That’s exactly what’s been happening for Cody Williams the last few months.
A rising senior at Perry High School (AZ), the 6-foot-8 Williams came into the spring a state tournament winner. Playing alongside future five-star Koa Peat (class of 2025) and incoming Arizona four-star freshman Dylan Anderson, the trio led Perry to the program’s first-ever 6A boys state title. Williams is currently ranked No. 38 overall by the On3 Consensus in the class of 2023, but that number could see a nice jump in the coming weeks.
Winning the state championship was a bit of a coming-out party for Williams, who has since earned offers from the likes of Cal, LSU, Washington State, and Georgia Tech, along with a handful of non-Power 5 programs. He had already received scholarships from nearby schools such as Nevada, UNLV, Arizona State, USC, Texas Tech, and Texas following a mini-breakout last year, but now his name is reaching different corners of the country, even out to the Bluegrass State.
Williams was in Las Vegas earlier this week for the 20th annual Pangos All-American Camp, where he was a clear-cut top performer. He was named to the Top 30 Cream of the Crop Game to close out the event after consistently filling up the box sheet with high-scoring outings. KSR was there to watch him play, and although he wasn’t one we intended to keep our eyes on, his impressive play made us pay attention.
Following his final camp game of the event, Williams spoke with KSR for a few minutes to talk about his rising stock and basketball bloodlines. There were rumblings that the Kentucky Wildcats had recently begun to reach out to Williams, which he confirmed to be the case.
“They just texted me the other day,” Williams told KSR about Kentucky. “Just told me good job and to keep up the good work.”
Assistant coach Orlando Antigua is the one who initially reached out to Williams, who hopes the relationship can continue to grow. Considering he’s a 2023 prospect and entering his final season of high school basketball, this could be viewed as the ‘Cats getting in on the action too late. While there is truth to that, Williams has only just recently made himself a national name. Other big-name schools will surely express more interest.
Being invited as one of 120 high schoolers to participate in the prestigious Pangos Camp was proof of his development. But Williams wasn’t just satisfied with an invite. He went out and played incredibly well, dropping double-digits in all four of his camp games, including back-to-back 30-point outings.
“It means a lot,” Williams said about attending Pangos. “I haven’t been invited before, so it’s kinda a big step. It gives you more recognition, scouts are gonna be on you a little bit more. NBA teams out here watching. So it’s really just a blessing, just taking advantage of the opportunity.”
In addition to the recent Kentucky interest, Williams has also been hearing from Seton Hall, Wake Forest, and UCLA as of late. He adds that the schools he hears from the most right now are LSU, Colorado, BYU, Santa Clara, USC, Texas Tech, and UNLV.
It’s been his play for Vegas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit since the beginning of April that’s brought him so much attention. Through 13 EYBL games, Williams is averaging 14.3 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the floor, making all-session teams along the way. He also adds 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals on top of his scoring figures while connecting on 83.7 percent of his free throws.
He’s grown about 2-3 inches each year over the last two, possessing point guard skills in a small forward’s body. Add in the fact that his older brother, Jalen Williams, is considered a first-round selection in next month’s NBA Draft after a stellar career at Santa Clara, and the potential that Cody could one day achieve the same feat doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
Having a sibling who’s gone through the experience of college recruiting and playing at a high level is a nice advantage to keep in the back pocket, too.
“(Jalen) taught me my work ethic because I had to always work out with him when he was in the gym so he really taught me how to buy into (making) the most of your time when you’re working out, getting your shots up,” Cody said of his brother. “And just really taught me how to play the game. He sends me film on my game and tells me what I did wrong and highlights my footwork or defense, how to go about ball screens. Stuff like that. He’s really pushed me to go to the next level.”
Williams says he didn’t grow up watching college basketball and only began to get into it once his brother went to Santa Clara. Cody was a massive Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Lakers fan as a child and now models his game after Kevin Durant — a long, skinny wing with guard-like abilities who can shoot from anywhere on the floor without fear of getting blocked.
With such a versatile skillset that is still expanding, don’t be surprised if Williams’ recruitment becomes a bigger story this summer.
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