CU’s Williams ‘taking pleasure in’ NCAAs before NBA draft

• Ben Infant, ESPN Staff WriterMar 23, 2024, 05:23 PM ET

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  Ben Child covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He signed up with the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for numerous newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Early Morning News where he covered college sports. He offers day-to-day coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL programs and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Reporters Association (AAJA).

INDIANAPOLIS– A slew of injuries have actually kept Colorado freshman Cody Williams from totally displaying why he’s a predicted lottery choice for the upcoming NBA draft.A fractured orbital bone, a wrist injury and an ankle problem have limited Williams, who is ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s draft ranking and is the highest NCAA player still playing in the tournament. Ahead of Sunday’s game versus 2-seed Marquette, the forward told ESPN that he feels he has done the required work to reveal why he ought to be one of the very first players off the board.

“I do not really seem like I have anything to show, even if I’ve already put in the work,” Williams said Saturday. “I have actually currently done what I require to do, my due diligence in regards to working off the court, being prepared.

“So as long as I simply stay focused on college basketball and simply play my game, everything else in the future will kind of take care of itself.”

In Friday’s win over 7-seed Florida, Williams scored nine points in 25 minutes as the 10th-seeded Buffaloes won 102-100 thanks to a late jumper by guard KJ Simpson.Williams, who is averaging 11.9 points on the season and is shooting 41% from behind the 3-point line, was on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of Perry( Gilbert, Arizona)High School.Before conference play began, Williams missed 7 games with a wrist injury, according to several reports. He returned for six games before suffering a fractured left orbital bone when he was elbowed during a practice ahead of Colorado’s Feb. 3 game versus Utah, which he missed.He needed to wait a week for double vision and blurriness to diminish. Williams was back

on the court for a game against Arizona State on Feb. 8, a game he started.Editor’s Picks 2 Related The hardest part, the freshman said, was finding the right

mask. The very first

one had a nose protector that was a bit too big. He consulted his brother Jalen, a forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder who broke his right orbital bone ahead of his rookie season in 2022, about remaining focused. Saturday’s win over Florida was Cody Williams ‘first game without wearing the mask.”I could simply see my peripherals better, kind of see the court better without having a mask on my face,”Williams told ESPN.”So it simply feels back to normal.” Still, Williams is trying to return into the swing of things. He missed four games with the ankle injury and wasn’t cleared

until the Pac-12 competition opener on March 14 against Utah. After beginning every game up until now this season, Williams has actually come off the bench in the previous five contests.However, his work has actually seen an uptick. The 25 minutes he bet Florida were his highest overall since before he was hurt.Williams had the in-bounds use Simpson

‘s winning shot versus the Gators. Colorado coach Little Boyle praised Williams’ability to be client up until Simpson might shake totally free to get the ball before his questionable game-winner with just over a second left.” KJ wasn’t originally open and after that he came back to him,” Boyle said after the win.The competition games in Indianapolis include some of the college game’s top players. Marquette guard Tyler Kolek went into the postseason as the NCAA’s help leader. Purdue center Zach Edey is the ruling nationwide player of the year and is positioned to repeat that honor.But Williams carries the highest professional stock. Marquette coach Shaka Smart called him a”ludicrous talent “and praised how Williams has actually handled his present role following the injury.”The reality that he’s coming off the bench today when he started the

bulk of games before he got hurt says a lot about who he is and the truth that he’s about the group and about winning,”Smart said.And that’s all the Colorado freshman is interested in ahead of

Sunday’s game versus the Golden Eagles that might send out the Buffaloes to the Sugary food 16 for the very first time since the NCAA competition expanded in 1985.” Today, the only thing I’m thinking of is taking pleasure in

this moment,”Williams said.” Undoubtedly, you do that by winning and advancing to the next game. I also comprehend this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”