The recruiting timeline for one of the top basketball prospects in Illinois might have been unorthodox, but it sure made the final days of his high school years memorable.
Lincoln Williams, who has been the top uncommitted prospect in the state for months, graduated May 21 from Kankakee. The All-Area guard followed that up with a commitment Monday to Illinois.
‘‘I chose to stay home,’’ Williams said of choosing Illinois over his other two finalists, Virginia Tech and UNLV. ‘‘There is a bond I have with the assistant coaches and coach Underwood, so I decided to stay home.’’
As the weeks passed after a 29-2 season with the Kays, Williams kept being asked where he was headed for college. It’s rare for a player who is arguably the top prospect in the class to be uncommitted after his graduation, but there were self-inflicted obstacles that slowed the process and that he had to overcome.
‘‘I don’t think a lot of people know, but I struggled with my grades my junior year,’’ Williams said. ‘‘I picked up all those offers my junior year, but then I got a little bigheaded, missed some classes a little bit and struggled with my grades.’’
Williams put together a big senior year — not just on the court but in the classroom. He got all A’s and B’s.
With his grades intact and commitment made, he joins an Illinois recruiting class that includes five other incoming freshmen.
Kankakee coach Chris Pickett has watched Williams develop into an all-around player and said his former star will go down as ‘‘the most celebrated Kankakee player to date.’’
‘‘Lincoln’s development and production is a direct result of him being dedicated to the program, the school and the town,’’ Pickett said. ‘‘He wanted to show people that you don’t have to leave to develop and be challenged.’’
The comfort and familiarity with Illinois — and Champaign being only 75 miles south of Kankakee on I-57 — were important factors for Williams in his decision-making. He’s very close with his family. Since his mother passed away when he was 1, which is one of the reasons he wears No. 1 on his jersey, the rest of the family has leaned on one another.
‘‘It’s always been my dad, brother and sister — always us four being there for each other, being loyal to each other,’’ Williams said. ‘‘Without my mother, that’s how I grew up. Plus, my sister went to Illinois for four years before she finished up at Notre Dame, so I was always around there as a kid.
‘‘But it feels pretty good to be an hour away from where I grew up here in Kankakee. My support system is big and important to me, so I know my family is going to make every game.’’
While Williams was productive in his high school career, finishing as the Kays’ all-time leading scorer with 1,853 points and averaging 26 points as a senior, it always has been about his upside. Everything he does as a player is seen through the physical attributes he offers as a prospect.
As a long and rangy 6-6 wing with athleticism and skills to play on the perimeter, Williams passes the look test. He plays well in transition and is a threat for lobs and putbacks. And he brings the positional size and versatility Illinois recently has coveted.
Williams’ combination of size, lateral mobility, length and instincts lead you to believe he has the traits to develop into a disruptive defender. He already makes an impact with blocks, steals and deflections while playing the part of a Swiss Army knife.
In addition to adding weight and strength, which should come naturally with time, what
ultimately will lift him to another level will be the development of his jumper.
‘‘I am going to go play in the toughest conference in the country,’’ Williams said of playing in the Big Ten, ‘‘so I have work to do. But I can’t wait to get to campus and get to work.’’