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Former NBA head coach Monty Williams admitted he’s been an “emotional trainwreck” of late. Those emotions have nothing to do with being nearly two years removed from being an NBA head coach, although he appears open to returning to the sideline in the future. It has everything to do with his son, Elijah, who was selected for the annual Nike Hoop Summit game, and will play college basketball at Baylor University. While Monty Williams’ youngest son, Micah, still has three years of high school left, life is changing for the close-knit Williams men with one soon leaving the nest.
Ingrid Williams, Monty Williams’ first wife and the mother of five of his six children, tragically died in a multiple-vehicle car crash in Oklahoma in 2016. Monty Williams’ second wife, Lisa, is a breast cancer survivor. The Williams family has lived in Phoenix, Detroit and now Spring Branch, Texas, in the past three years. Monty Williams said Baylor is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Spring Branch, which is “close enough and far enough” for Elijah. On that recent emotional discussion, Elijah Williams told Andscape: “We were just talking about our fears and things that we were not necessarily looking forward to, but things that are going to happen. And I was just talking about how just leaving the house and going to college and being away from my dad and my brother. I never really have done that. I just want to be back as much as I can and keep our relationship as close as possible.”
“I really don’t have too much of a life outside of basketball, and that was literally a choice up to me because of just how good I wanted to be,” Johnson said. He traces his love for the sport to his father, Richard Johnson Jr., who played college ball at Baylor before he transferred to Midwestern State (Texas), a Division II school, for his junior and senior seasons. As a child, Tre would pore through old VHS tapes of his dad’s college games and watch him play in pickup games against adults. Richard taught physical education and worked as an assistant boys basketball coach at Dallas’ Lake Highlands, where Tre spent his first three years of high school and led the team to a state title as a junior.
The Philadelphia 76ers chose Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe at No. 3, when the story wasn’t the player selected but the team that did it. Philadelphia canvassed the league, searching for ways it could trade down from the third pick leading into the draft, league sources told The Athletic. Come Wednesday evening, it couldn’t find a worthwhile deal and chose the explosive 6-foot-4 guard. Edgecombe will join second-year scorer Jared McCain and All-Star spark plug Tyrese Maxey in the Philadelphia Sixers’ backcourt.
Jason Dumas: FWIW, I got the opinion of someone who was present for VJ's workout for the Sixers. It was pretty on par with what he put on tape at Baylor: "Good energy. Super athletic. Shot can get better but seemed like a good kid."
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Meanwhile, Baylor’s Edgecombe impressed the Sixers during his private workout and dinner with team brass and Maxey. If the Sixers don’t select Bailey, there’s some thought he could drop out of the top five. Some also are wondering if this is part of his inner circle’s plan. Being drafted by the Washington Wizards (who select sixth) or New Orleans Pelicans (seventh) could provide an easier path to stardom for Bailey.
We repeat: The exact order after Flagg and Harper remains TBD, but numerous league executives who specialize in gathering draft intelligence have conveyed that Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe, Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, Texas scorer Tre Johnson, Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, Duke freshman Kon Kneuppel and Blue Devils big man Khaman Maluach are the six players commanding the most interest … although Bailey is indeed no longer seen as the top-three lock he once was. "If it's not those eight [in the top eight], it will be seven of those eight,” said one Eastern Conference executive.
Sean Cunningham: recognizable names visit the King’s on Friday: Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga) PG, 5'11", 176 Curtis Jones (Iowa) SG, 6'3", 183 Koby Brea (Kentucky) SG, 6'5", 202 Kadary Richmond (St. John’s) SG, 6'4", 206 Norchad Omier (Baylor) C, 6'5", 246 Vladislav Goldin (Michigan) C, 7'0", 253
The prime candidate at No. 3, at this juncture, appears to be Baylor freshman guard VJ Edgecombe, who sources say visited with the Sixers last week. There's an expectation that Philadelphia will bring in Rutgers' Ace Bailey down the road, but I have not heard of a workout that Bailey has scheduled to date.
The son of former NBA coach Monty Williams has committed to play college basketball at Baylor University, according to several reports. Four-star TMI Episcopal guard Elijah Williams, who plays for his father, committed to Baylor on Tuesday afternoon.
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Michael Scotto: Baylor’s Norchad Omier has received an invite to the NBA G League Elite Camp, sources told @hoopshype . Omier led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding (10.8) and averaged 15.7 points. He averaged a double-double five straight seasons. He played for Arkansas State, Miami and Baylor.
Our News Bahamas: VJ GOING TO THE NBA: Announcing on his IG page this afternoon, Baylor freshman and native from Bimini, VJ Edgecombe has announced he will declare for this year’s NBA draft. VJ spent one year at Baylor where he averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3.2 assist. 🇧🇸🔥💪🏾
Missi, however, didn’t sit out and averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 23 minutes per game primarily as a starter for Baylor during the 2023-24 season. He said that he didn’t believe he was an NBA prospect entering college, but that mentality changed after posting 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots against Duke on Dec. 23, 2023.