NBA Draft Combine: Darrion Williams says it's still possible he'll return to Texas Tech
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Following two impressive seasons at Texas Tech, forward Darrion Williams entered his name into the transfer portal and is currently going through the NBA Draft process. Meeting with the media this week at the NBA Draft Combine, Williams talked about his thought process about the NBA and potentially returning to college for another season.
Williams, who made it clear that his dream is to play in the NBA, isn't ruling out another year of college basketball. In fact, he also said that a return to Texas Tech is still possible.
"I just wanted to put my full focus into the combine, it wasn't anything deeper than that," Williams said when asked about his decision to enter the portal. "I'm not even thinking about college, I haven't been taking any calls. So I'm just focused on this for now."
Williams indicated that he intends to wait until the deadline before making his final decision, and much of that is based on the feedback he receives from the combine. Although he's open to returning to college, his preference at this point is the NBA.
"Yeah, I'm open to it. But I want to be full in on the draft. I didn't want to be one foot in and one foot out. I'm fully into it. If I gotta go back, I'll go back. But I want to go to the draft."
When asked directly if Texas Tech is still an option, Williams didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, Texas Tech is an option."
Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams on his decision to enter the portal and what he’s looking for moving forward.
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) May 14, 2025
One of the best players available in the portal. Williams was mum on teams of interest but Ohio State, Kansas, NC State and more are certainly interested. pic.twitter.com/oKIBRop1gr
Last season, Williams averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Red Raiders. His consistency on both ends of the floor led to him being named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
Obviously getting Williams back would be huge for Texas Tech next season, especially for a team that's already viewed as a favorite to win it all. But based on Williams' recent comments, it sounds like he's doing everything he can to make sure the NBA is an option now.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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