Class of 2023 PF Devin Williams Commits to UCLA Men's Basketball
The Bruins have finally secured their first commitment of the current cycle.
Class of 2023 power forward Devin Williams verbally committed to UCLA men's basketball on Sunday, he announced on Instagram Live with ESPN's Paul Biancardi. Williams had cut his list down to UCLA and USC earlier in August, then officially visited Westwood on Aug. 16 and 17 before locking in his decision a few weeks later.
Williams added a little flare to his decision, too, first grabbing the USC hat before tossing it to the side and putting on the UCLA hat.
The Centennial (CA) big man was also being pursued by Arizona, Texas Tech, UNLV and others, and had officially visited the Trojans back in June, but he instead opted to become coach Mick Cronin's first 2023 commit on the other side town.
Williams is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Williams is the No. 12 player in California, No. 14 power forward in the country and No. 68 overall recruit in his class.
Leading the way for Centennial down low as a junior, Williams helped the Huskies post a 33-1 record and win the CIF Open Division State Championship last season. The 6-foot-10, 200-pound forward has excelled as a shot-blocker and high-flying athlete, and he has also managed to develop an outside shot over the past year.
Centennial produced another Bruin this year, as incoming UCLA women's basketball freshman Londynn Jones was a year ahead of Williams at the Corona, California, high school.
Williams plays his AAU ball for the Compton Magic, a program with strong UCLA ties over the past decade.
The Magic have produced TJ Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, Jaylen Hands, Jalen Hill, Jules Bernard, Johnny Juzang, Jaylen Clark and incoming freshman Dylan Andrews in the past seven cycles alone. Anigbogu and Hill also went to Centennial, albeit several years before Williams' time.
UCLA assistant coach Rod Palmer co-founded the Magic with Etop Udo-Ema, and he has played a key part in upholding the Bruins’ connection with the program into the Cronin era.
Clark had been pushing hard for Williams to join him in Westwood on social media, even stopping by for a photoshoot during his official visit, but other Magic alumni – such as Isaiah Mobley – were publicly campaigning for USC.
The comments on Williams' recent tweets and Instagram posts also featured appearances from Andrej Stojakovic – one of UCLA's top 2023 targets – and Isaiah Elohim – one of UCLA's top 2024 targets. Now that Cronin has one recruit in house, the connections he brings to the table could lead to more dominoes falling in the coming weeks.
Williams' official visit overlapped with fellow four-star forward Brandon Williams, another class of 2023 prospect who recently included the Bruins in his top two. 247Sports' No. 1 recruit in the country, point guard Isaiah Collier, has UCLA in his final four, and five-star center Aaron Bradshaw, five-star forward Ron Holland, four-star center Isaiah Miranda, four-star point guard Elmarko Jackson and three-star center Michael Nwoko all have them pegged as a finalist.
The Bruins' 2023 recruiting class has gone from unranked to No. 42 in the country and No. 4 in the Pac-12, according to the 247Sports Composite, thanks entirely to Devin Williams' commitment.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DEVIN WILLIAMS/INSTAGRAM
