Multiple reports say guard Nigel Williams-Goss is leaving Washington and considering transferring to another Division I school.
Nigel Williams-Goss is leaving Washington and considering transferring to another Division I school, according to multiple reports.
The 6-3 sophomore guard who led the Huskies in points (15.6 scoring average) and assists (5.9 per game) contemplated an early departure to the NBA last year and was non-committal about returning to UW after last month’s 71-69 season-ending loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament opener.
It was believed Williams-Goss was once again pondering a jump to the pros and would decide before the April 26 deadline.
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However, in a series of tweets Thursday morning Clay Dade, a figure in high school basketball’s summer circuit, announced: “Nigel Williams-Goss informs me he is transferring. Already has gotten his release.”Dade said Williams-Goss had drawn early interest from UNLV and Arkansas.
A Washington spokesperson said Williams-Goss “is evaluating his options as of right now.”
Calls to Williams-Goss’ parents were not immediately returned.
Losing Williams-Goss, who was chosen second-team all-Pac-12 in March, would be a big blow for the Huskies. They finished the 2014-15 season at 16-15 and was 11th in the conference at 5-13. After starting 11-0 and 14-4, Washington fell apart during the second half of the season and lost 11 of its last 13 games.
The Huskies haven’t played beyond the conference tournament in the past two years and their last NCAA tournament appearance was four years ago.
After the season, Williams-Goss was despondent about a season that failed to live up expectations. He deflected a couple of questions about his future.
“I’m not even thinking about that right now,” he said. “My focus was 100 percent on the season. There was no reason to look past the season when you have games still to play.
“I try to go out every night and play to the best of my abilities, and give my team the best chance to win. And when you’re thinking ahead, you’re not as focused or locked in as you need to be. Like I said, I haven’t put too much thought into it right now, so I’ not thinking about down the road.”
Citing a unnamed source, CBS college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb tweeted Thursday that a “lack of cohesion w/team big reason for nose dive.”
It’s already been an active offseason for UW, which lost assistant coach T.J. Otzelberger, who returned to Iowa State, and junior center Gilles Dierickx is leaving the program.
Without Williams-Goss, Washington would have just five returning scholarship players in guard Andrew Andrews, Darin Johnson, Quevyn Winters, Donaven Dorsey and forward Jernard Jarreau. The Huskies assembled a standout 2015 recruiting class that includes: guards Dejounte Murray, Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp and big men Marquese Chriss, Malik Dime and Devenir Duruisseau.
If Williams-Goss leaves, the Huskies would have two open spots on the roster.