KNOXVILLE - Grant Williams has reaffirmed his decision to remain in the NBA draft pool, effectively ending his University of Tennessee basketball career.
Williams, a junior this past season, left the door open for a return to the Volunteers in his April 8 announcement that he would explore the draft, but he closed that door Friday during a sitdown interview with Stadium's Shams Charania at the NBA combine in Chicago.
"My decision is that I'm going to stay in the NBA draft after receiving feedback from NBA teams on how I performed and what I'm hearing," Williams said. "I feel confident in myself and my game as well as what I'm hearing from teams, and I'm excited to take this next step in my journey."
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound forward was a consensus first-team All-American in 2018-19, when he also was named Southeastern Conference men's basketball player of the year for the second straight season. Williams finished his Vols career ranked third in blocked shots (160), fourth in free throws made (501) and 12th in points (1,629) in program history.
In his final college season, he averaged 18.8 points - he shot 57 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free-throw line - 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists while helping the Vols finish 31-6 in a standout season that included a month with the No. 1 national ranking and ended in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.
Williams came to Tennessee as a polished player who had been overlooked by some programs during recruiting due to his size. He started his college career at 17 years old, when he was 6-5 and weighed 234 pounds, but made an immediate impact, starting all but three of the Vols' 32 games his freshman season and averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. Those averages bumped up to 15.2 and 6.0 in his sophomore season.
NBA standards might lead to similar questions about Williams, whose measurements and skills don't easily lock him into one particular position, but such criticism won't be new to him. Most draft projections have him as a late first-round pick, with some mock drafts pitting him in the second round, but the combine allowed him to receive feedback about his strengths and show other skills - such as perimeter defense and rebounding - that teams might have had questions about.
"The feedback has been that I need to do the things you do well," he said. "I can add value to a team at this moment, maybe bring leadership to a team. It's been about being a consistent, dominant force, using my strength to my advantage as well as understanding who I am. I wanted to show I can defend multiple positions; I wanted to show I can be that guy you can rely on, to be that guy that's a vocal leader on the defensive end and the offensive end and that can understand a scouting report and the plays.
"I got that feedback from them and I've got to keep improving."
He admitted he was "torn" by the decision to leave Tennessee.
"To leave the university I really love and had a great three years at was difficult, especially with the opportunity to add to the legacy I had there, but I knew it was the time," Williams said. "It was a gut feeling that this was my moment and the chance I had to take to make the best out of it. It was really difficult looking back to realize, 'Dang, I'm moving on from Tennessee,' because I did so many great things with so many great teammates, but I feel like I'm prepared and I know I'm ready to go."
Williams thanked "God, my parents and everybody who influenced me in my decision."
"To Vol fans, I honestly just want to thank you," he added. "There's not much more I can say because you guys have been there for me, you've been amazing to me. It's been a great three years, been a great process. I want to thank my teammates, my coaches as well as you all. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am at today.
"Please continue to guide me, be there for me, because Vol Nation has the best support in the world. Go Vols."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.