4 Star wing Curtis Williams Jr has inked his Letter of Intent and is now a member of Louisville men’s basketball’s 2023 class. The native of Bloomfield Hills, MI was the first recruit Coach Kenny Payne built a relationship with and landed in the 2023 class.
✍️ It’s 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟! Welcome to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 @Curtis5Williams!
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) November 12, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/ew9MjcMSML#GoCards x #TheFamily pic.twitter.com/uU7hsthSyx
Williams is a 6’6 205 lbs wing listed as a SF that chose UofL over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Maryland, and Notre Dame, among others. He is ranked as the 68th-best overall prospect and 15th-best at his position in the class per 247sports composite rankings.
Williams is a true Kenny Payne recruit, being offered a scholarship by the new staff in July 2022. He is ranked right around where Louisville was recruiting both under Coach Mack and Coach Pitino. Williams fits the exact type of player Coach Payne covets, big wings with skill.
“@Curtis5Williams will bring a great spirit to our program that will be solely about team, work ethic and character. Louisville fans will love him." – @coachkennypayne#GoCards x #TheFamily pic.twitter.com/RJpCfh5RPU
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) November 12, 2022
A very good athlete, Williams has shown the ability to score at all 3 levels both with the ball in his hand and as an off ball option. He has a beautiful shot that he can hit off the catch or bounce. Slashing is something he is very good at as well, getting into the lane and then making layups, jumpers, and dunks. He’s also arguably physically ready to go. What he will bring is a pure scorer from the wing. It will be interesting to see how Coach Payne utilizes his scoring mentality within the construct of his pass-heavy offense.
Curtis Williams Jr will give UofL two very good wing players in this class along with Kaleb Glenn. He’s a scorer that understands how to get to his spot and get his shot. With his length and athleticism Coach Payne should be able to mold him into a good defensive player. Louisville will now look to fill out the backcourt and post position to complete the 2023 class.