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Recruiting: Christian Williams Rounds Out the 2015 Iowa Hawkeye Recruiting Class

Coach Fran McCaffery adds Christian Williams, a combo guard from Decatur.

By Brian Sonnenberg
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Listed as a shooting guard, Christian Williams will tell you he's more comfortable at point guard. Either way, Coach McCaffery's following the script with Williams. He's an athletic wing who can guard multiple positions and he'll fit perfectly with Iowa's offense.

Williams played last year at Saint Theresa High School in Decatur, Illinois, with his school making it to the class 2A state championship last season. He's a 6'6", 180 pound combo guard who has tremendous athleticism and upside. Point guard won't be open next season (two seniors), but Williams should have an opportunity to see the floor because of his versatility. And of course Coach McCaffery may be eager to get a look at the Iowa Hawkeyes's future.

Scouting Report
Williams is long, lean and a smooth athlete, more so than an explosive one. His length allows him to finish above the rim and shield defenders when finishing in traffic. It's rather apparent that he knows how to use his long arms to his advantage when working against taller defenders.

Williams seems to prefer attacking the rim with a left hand dribble and he shows the ability to pull up and hit a mid-range jumper. He's not a lights out shooter, but he is a capable one. If left open, he's dangerous, and when the ball goes inside and comes out, Williams can make shots with set feet. At the very least defenders will have to honor him at the three point line and he can use his long, quick first step to blow by them.

Perhaps his best attribute is his passing ability. He has good court sense and vision and he doesn't seem to force offense, or look to make unnecessarily spectacular passes. He'll make the solid play to get a teammate an open shot and while his passes may not make highlight reels, they'll help win ballgames.  In the film above, Williams makes a couple off-the-bounce, left-handed passes. That's pretty high level for someone his age.

On defense he uses his length very well. Williams can close on passing lane quickly, or poke the ball from a dribbler without fouling. In high school at least, he could block shots from the weak side. Likely, those opportunities won't be as abundant in college, but it'll be effective when defending other Big Ten guards.

Areas for Improvement
Williams will need to get stronger. He's a good athlete and tall for his position, but defenders may crowd his space and play more physically. Added strength will come with time, though, getting him in a college weightlifting program will help. He could improve his shooting although Coach McCaffery won't likely ask him to play the role of a sharpshooter. But if he does improve he'll be a much more dangerous playmaker for the Hawkeyes.

Player Outlook
If he can improve his shooting and demonstrate his ability defensively, Williams could play more quickly. He seems to have a point guard's mentality and this season, with two seniors, he may not get many opportunities at that position. However, long term he could be the answer. He looks comfortable handling the ball and orchestrating offense. In high school he scored more, but in college he could become more of a facilitator. That'll afford him the chance to be a more opportunistic, rather than primary, scorer heading forward. Williams certainly has a future with the Iowa Hawkeyes, even if it'll be another year before he realizes his true potential.

Iowa's class is good in that each player fits the specific mold. Coach McCaffery's vision is pretty clear and sometimes that makes all the difference.

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