NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top-10 Ziaire Williams final 7 teams

Stanford Cardinal

There are a few NCAA Basketball programs that are in their own separate category when discussing their fits and chances with high school prospects. Stanford is one of them, regarded as the top academic institution (in my opinion) that also offers high-level athletic programs. And for recruits out west and their parents, the Cardinal represents a great opportunity to get the best education possible.

That and being the “hometown” school, Stanford has a real shot to land Williams. They and North Carolina already have gotten official visits and with forward KZ Okpala gone, Williams would be the focal point of the offense. He could be joining a potential top-15 team in 2020-21 assuming everyone else comes back, with just one senior currently on the roster. Daejon Davis and Oscar Da Silva are All-Conference caliber players and would work well with Williams on the court.

The big concern I would have if I was Williams is that head coach Jerod Haase isn’t on the safest of coaching seats. The team has yet to make the NCAA Tournament in his first three years and compared to the other Pac-12 teams on this list, they’re the least likely to go dancing.

What Stanford and their chances to land Williams comes down to is likely a) how much he values their education aspects and b) how much he wants to be the top guy on the team rather than joining other five-stars and risk playing second fiddle. The Cardinal just recently lost out to another wing in top-100 Anthony Leal to Indiana but could get a massive win with Williams. His commitment could possibly keep Coach Haase around no matter what this year.