That didn’t take long.
Four days after announcing he was transferring from Memphis, former San Ysidro High School basketball star Mikey Williams has committed to the Big 12’s University of Central Florida with the possibility, those close to him say, of playing for the Knights this season.
“All I needed was a chance,” Williams, a 6-foot-3 guard, said in an Instagram post to his 3.6 million followers Friday afternoon with a picture of him dribbling a basketball in a UCF uniform, a chain with a giant “1” dangling from his neck.
Williams faced nine felony charges from an incident last March in which he allegedly fired a gun into an occupied vehicle at his $1.2 million hilltop home in Jamul. In late November, two weeks before a scheduled jury trial, he pleaded guilty to two felony counts — one for personal use of a firearm in commission of a crime and one for making criminal threats.
As part of the plea deal, however, the first felony will be dismissed and the second reduced to a misdemeanor in August if he commits no criminal offenses other than traffic violations in addition to completing 80 hours of community service, cognitive behavioral therapy and a series of other courses.
Williams enrolled in online classes remotely for the fall semester at Memphis, but the school said in September that he could not participate in any team activities “until his pending legal process in California is complete.”
The unique nature of his plea agreement — two felonies now, but potentially reduced to a misdemeanor in August — represented something of a gray area, and people around the Memphis program privately said they didn’t expect Williams to receive clearance to suit up this season for No. 13-ranked Tigers (14-2).
“The school to a lesser extent and Coach (Penny) Hardaway to a greater extent seemed supportive,” said Randy Grossman, the attorney retained by Williams in October. “We reached out to the school (after the plea agreement), and there was just this delay. I think it became a little frustrating for Mikey, because we were under the impression that once we got this resolved we’d move forward.
“The can was getting kicked down the road repeatedly. I think there was a hope that Memphis would say, ‘OK, let’s bring you on board now.’ But there was nothing specific from them that said, ‘Hey, we’re going to let you play this season or you’ll have to wait until next season.’ It just didn’t seem like it was a priority for them.”
Memphis issued a statement Monday that confirmed Williams’ departure, adding: “The university process for him to join the men’s basketball program was underway, but Williams elected to explore his options at this time.”
Hardaway has consistently backed Williams and kept him on the roster, even as his legal troubles deepened and a judge ruled in an October preliminary hearing that the case could proceed to trial.
“I’d do it again, to be very honest with you,” Hardaway told reporters recently. “That’s what I’m in this business for — to stick my neck out on the line for kids and young men and hope that they appreciate it.”
Another possible factor was the status of JJ Taylor, a 6-foot-8 forward who played with Williams at San Ysidro last season and committed with him to Memphis. Taylor appeared in only three games for six minutes for the Tigers before being suspended in Dec. 23 for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
There were also reports Monday that Taylor intends to transfer.
But because he played this season for Memphis, he must wait until March 18 to formally enter the portal and choose a new destination for next season. Williams never played and never was officially part of the team. He also, according to his attorney, paid tuition himself instead of being on an athletic scholarship.
That might make him eligible at UCF immediately. Family members said UCF has reviewed his case and cleared him to join the team.
Why the rush to commit Friday? Spring semester classes at UCF began Monday; the deadline for late registration was Friday.
“He’s played basketball his whole life,” Grossman said. “He’s always been on the court. Now all of a sudden, for the first time ever, he’s not able to play organized ball. He was in this never-never land. Why not take a scholarship from a place that really wants you?
“I think he just wants to move on with his life and get back to playing basketball.”
UCF, coached by Duke legend Johnny Dawkins, was picked to finish last in its first season in the 14-team Big 12, regarded as the nation’s top basketball conference. The Knights are 10-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 after a 65-60 win against No. 3 Kansas on Wednesday. They’re led by a pair of junior guards, Jaylin Sellers (17.8 points) and Darius Johnson (14.1).
Dawkins is prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting about a recruit until he has signed a scholarship agreement with the school.
Williams signed a multiyear endorsem*nt deal with Puma during high school, but the company said it had ended its relationship with him earlier this year. UCF is a Nike school, and in the photo posted on his Instagram account, Williams is wearing orange Nikes.
