Brad Underwood brought in a talented class of 2017. There were players who were highly regarded by many programs but Da’Monte Williams continued to fly under the radar.
Past
Williams was being hounded by big-time programs early on in his career. During his junior season, he climbed all the way up to a four-star recruit who was the No. 56 player in the class of 2017. This is why teams like Kansas, Indiana and Illinois were all after this talented kid.
On February 28, Williams essentially ended his recruitment and committed to Illinois. After that date, though, he struggled through injuries and that really affected his status in the recruiting rankings.
Williams missed a lot of AAU action in 2016 and then he tore his ACL in December 2016. His rough streak of injuries dropped him out of the top 100 and he ended up being a three-star recruit when his time in high school was over. But, he is now healthy and ready to prove he is still that high caliber of a player.
Present
It will be fascinating to see how Underwood uses Williams in the Illinois offense this season. He hasn’t had very much basketball practice in quite some time due to the ACL injury but he has been fully cleared to resume basketball activity.
This season might just be a learning year. If he isn’t redshirted, which I don’t think he will be, he will likely see sparing minutes. I am assuming they will ease him into the game and he will see something like 8-12 minutes per game in year one. That is about right for how much time Williams has missed and where the Illini are at guard wise.
Next: Recruiting pitch to Ayo Dosunmu
Future
Don’t be surprised if Williams sees a big minutes increase from year one to year two. He will only get about 8-12 minutes his freshman season but then those minutes will probably increase to around 15-18 minutes per game during his sophomore campaign.
I have no doubts Williams will be a four-year player at Illinois. After his sophomore season, I expect Williams to potential nab a starting spot on this team. Even if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him getting around 20-23 minutes per game in year three.
During his senior season, look for Williams to be the starting No. 3 guard for the Illini. He will have all the experience and there will likely be a void to fill when he enters his senior campaign. I am excited about his future.