Since entering the portal on Monday, Coastal Carolina transfer guard Rudi Williams has been hearing from a long list of schools as he Iooks to play at a “higher level.”
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard out of Hamilton, Ontario, says the schools that have caught his eye include Georgia, Florida, Butler, California, Oregon State, BYU, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Wichita State and Central Florida, among others.
“Ultimately, I’m trying to become a pro, so I want to prepare myself to do so by playing against the best of the best,” Williams said in an interview Tuesday evening. “Really what I’m looking for in my next destination, I would just say somewhere with a winning culture. Winning is a must over there. I want to go somewhere I have a chance to play in the March Madness Tournament and somewhere I can get ready to become a pro and win a lot of ball games. That’s pretty much it and that was my reasoning behind wanting to transfer.”
As far as a timetable, Williams says he is waiting until Friday or Saturday to see “who’s all in”.
“After that, I’ll start clearing out the smoke and nailing down schools,” he said. “Once I’ve narrowed down my list, I’ll start planning visits.”
While Williams is permitted to take five visits, he says he’s only looking to take around three.
“I’m just looking for a very good opportunity to come in, help a team win and potentially go dancing in the March Madness Tournament,” he said. “That is one of my ultimate goals as a college basketball player.”
Williams began his college career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M from 2018-20 before transferring to Kansas State for the 2020-21 season. After one season at Kansas State in which Williams averaged 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, Williams entered the portal once again, ultimately deciding on Coastal Carolina.
In his lone season at Coastal Carolina in 2020-21, Williams averaged 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists, starting 27 games and playing 30.2 minutes per contest.
“Where I can say I’ve grown over the past year or so is just being more confident, fine-tuning my skills, getting better at the little things and just being consistent and efficient,” Williams said. “Efficient is the best word I can use for myself.”
Williams describes himself as “an attacker” that can get into the paint and create for his teammates.
“I’m pretty strong, stronger for my position, so I can switch one, two and three,” he said. “I try my best not to get posted up by bigger dudes.”
