Joseph Hayes, Port Huron Times Herald
Eric Williams continues to blaze his own trail.
And in the process, the Port Huron native and 2017 New Haven High School graduate continues to bring his hometown and the entire Blue Water Area on an epic journey with him.
When Williams recently announced he would transfer from Duquesne University and reopen his recruitment, he didn't exactly understand what would happen next. But what did occur was a short, whirlwind experience, that saw the 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing get added to the top 10 of the NCAA transfer protocol and contacted by more than 10 top-flight programs.
He would go on a pair of visits before ultimately deciding to transfer to the University of Oregon, where he will have two years of eligibility remaining to play for the Pac-12 Conference school.
"I went on my first visit (to the University of Missouri) but Oregon was recruiting me the hardest," Williams recalled.
They flew across the country and their coach met with me for lunch before I had my visit (with Missouri) in downtown Pittsburgh.
"They want me to come in and do many of the things I was doing here. They want me to play shooting guard and small forward. It will be the same role but on a different team. I still have to work on my game and improve on things."
In his two seasons with Duquesne, Williams was well ahead of the curve. He led the team in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game and was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.371).
He scored a career high of 40 points against St. Louis, while shooting 15 of 20 from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range.
Now Williams will go right back to work on his game. He will be forced to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules before returning for the 2020-21 season.
"I had a lot of schools reach out to me," Williams said. "It was pretty crazy at first. I had watched Oregon play in the NCAA Tournament and I knew they were a big-time program. I'm excited about the opportunity. I'm going to be there by June and I'll be taking summer classes.
"It's a different vibe. I'm trying to put myself in the best situation possible and not complain about being overlooked when I entered college. I'm going to keep moving forward. I've never been scared of an opportunity."
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.
Eric Williams continues to blaze his own trail.
And in the process, the Port Huron native and 2017 New Haven High School graduate continues to bring his hometown and the entire Blue Water Area on an epic journey with him.
When Williams recently announced he would transfer from Duquesne University and reopen his recruitment, he didn't exactly understand what would happen next. But what did occur was a short, whirlwind experience, that saw the 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing get added to the top 10 of the NCAA transfer protocol and contacted by more than 10 top-flight programs.
He would go on a pair of visits before ultimately deciding to transfer to the University of Oregon, where he will have two years of eligibility remaining to play for the Pac-12 Conference school.
"I went on my first visit (to the University of Missouri) but Oregon was recruiting me the hardest," Williams recalled.
They flew across the country and their coach met with me for lunch before I had my visit (with Missouri) in downtown Pittsburgh.
"They want me to come in and do many of the things I was doing here. They want me to play shooting guard and small forward. It will be the same role but on a different team. I still have to work on my game and improve on things."
In his two seasons with Duquesne, Williams was well ahead of the curve. He led the team in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game and was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.371).
He scored a career high of 40 points against St. Louis, while shooting 15 of 20 from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range.
Now Williams will go right back to work on his game. He will be forced to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules before returning for the 2020-21 season.
"I had a lot of schools reach out to me," Williams said. "It was pretty crazy at first. I had watched Oregon play in the NCAA Tournament and I knew they were a big-time program. I'm excited about the opportunity. I'm going to be there by June and I'll be taking summer classes.
"It's a different vibe. I'm trying to put myself in the best situation possible and not complain about being overlooked when I entered college. I'm going to keep moving forward. I've never been scared of an opportunity."
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.
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