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Illinois Basketball: Rerating every Illini recruit from the 2010s

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 06: D.J. Williams #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket against Aaron Brennan #45 of the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 06: D.J. Williams #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket against Aaron Brennan #45 of the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

18. DJ Williams (Old: 4-star/0.9691 – New: 3-star/0.8975)

Illinois had a pretty talented class on paper in 2015. This class ranked No. 15 in the nation and brought in some solid players from around the state of Illinois. One of those talented players was DJ Williams.

Williams was a 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward coming out of Simeon High School and residing in Chicago, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 77 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 14 small forward in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.9691.

That first year with Illinois was one that should have laid the groundwork for a great career. Williams saw action in 29 games and got two starts under his belt. He averaged 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest. I thought this kid had so much potential.

Year two didn’t go as well for Williams. He only averaged 2.3 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. The team struggled and John Groce was fired.  After the season concluded, Williams decided it was time for him to move on and find a new home.

Williams picked George Washington as his next stop. After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, he ended up averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. This wouldn’t be his last stop, though.

After his lone season with George Washington, Williams became a graduate transfer and played his final year with DePaul. Things didn’t go well, though, as he only averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

I believe there was always potential there with Williams, and he was able to show that with George Washington. But the kid just didn’t pan out for one reason or another. He came into the college ranks as a four-star with a rating of 0.9691. I believe he was actually a three-star with a rating of 0.8975.

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