BOULDER – When Colorado fans prepared for Cody Williams, they could only imagine what it would finally feel like to have a potential one-and-done lottery pick.
Boulder had never experienced the jaw-dropping highlights, the freakish physical traits, or the larger-than-life hype that could lead a program to never-before-seen heights.
A year later, a new set of fanbases count down the days to the NBA draft in hopes of selecting the 6-foot-7 forward who displayed such components in his lone season with the record-setting 2023-2024 Buffaloes.
Unlike most projected one-and-done lottery picks, however, he’ll be the first from the University of Colorado, set to make history when officially selected next week in Brooklyn after his freshman season at his unpopular school of choice.
With the Buffs, Williams averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game despite dealing with numerous injuries. CU won a single-season program record 26 games and lost 11, making runs to the final Pac-12 championship game and March Madness’ round of 32.
“It's definitely a different path,” Williams’ older brother and budding Oklahoma City Thunder star, Jalen, told Sko Buffs Sports in December. “I think just the main thing (I emphasized) was go where you're wanted and needed … As far as the NBA recognition, talent will see through everything so it doesn't really matter where you go. Colorado is a good team too so I think it ended up working out really well.”
Knowing his ability would shine at any program, Williams decided to sport the black and gold for his lone season of collegiate hoops because of head coach Tad Boyle and the team-driven culture he’s enforced in his now 14-year tenure in Boulder. Williams saw an opportunity to mature, a place to focus on winning and his development instead of simply being a one-and-done.
“I think the biggest thing here is coach Boyle has a lot of faith in me and I'm able to learn and progress really quickly,” Williams said of Boyle. “With the minutes I'm getting, his trust and faith in me, putting me on the court, allowing me to play my game. This is huge for my development. I've been learning everything I can. Every day in practice I'm learning something new from him. It's just been a big help for me developing as a player and a teammate.”
Despite missing over a third of the season due to injury, Williams’ appreciation for Boyle was reciprocated, perhaps even more due to his resilience. With Williams being the talk of the town, especially during injury, Boyle stood by his star freshman.
“Weeks out of the lineup, it's tough for anybody, especially a freshman,” Boyle said after beating Oregon at home in mid-January. “But, he's showing what he's made of. He's a special player and he’s a great teammate, that's the thing.”
Amid the ongoing injury bug that somewhat hijacked Williams’ season, and nearly the entire roster, Colorado’s veterans backed up Boyle’s sentiment. Whether a four-year player or a two-year transfer, seasoned Buffs continuously had Williams’ back and spoke highly of the 19-year-old.
“Credit to him, his toughness, his ability to put the team first,” former CU guard J’Vonne Hadley said after Williams rolled his ankle against Utah in late February. “We need him. He does a lot of good things for us in every aspect of the game, and he understands that. He's a tough player.”
At some points, Williams’ teammates sounded like broken records. They valued his desire to develop as a two-way talent, something that Boyle always preaches to his team. Williams wants to be like the former CU stars such as Boston Celtics guard Derrick White who have thrived at the next level due to their two-way prowess.
“I feel like I've been saying this since the beginning of the season,” Colorado forward and projected first-round draft pick Tristan da Silva said after beating USC at home. “His maturity and his knowledge of the game for a freshman is crazy. So I'm not surprised. He does this in practice. He had that mindset coming in trying to be a defensive force for us. So, having him on the perimeter, especially with his reach and his length, definitely gets our opponents in trouble.”
But, finding a school like Colorado is like finding a diamond in the rough for a player of Williams’ caliber. There’s a reason why he boasts the title of the highest-ranked recruit in the program’s history.
While Boyle, CU’s coaching staff, and the pull of a talented roster did the heavy lifting in attracting Williams to Boulder, his NBA brother helped lay the groundwork of making the right choice, as he does in most of Cody’s endeavors.
“He’s a really important part of my life,” Cody said. “Even off the court, he’s been a support system, just someone I can always call and talk to, someone who I can just hit up to get away from basketball or get away from school or just being stressed. So, just a huge outlet for me.”
Jalen wasn’t a one-and-done himself, but he was a lottery pick and starred at Santa Clara, an even lesser-known school to highly ranked recruits. While undergoing a physical transformation that seemed to hit Cody at a younger age, Jalen spent three years with the Broncos as he turned into a star. He averaged 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game as a junior, raising his draft stock high enough to get selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Thunder. In his second season, he averaged 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, helping Oklahoma City claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference before falling to the NBA Finals-runner-up Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs.
With the experience of finding himself in a program with fewer eyes before becoming one of the best players in his draft class, big brother has helped little brother almost every step of the way. After every game last season, the two broke down the film together.
“(It’s) probably pretty big (for him),” Jalen said. “I think me having a voice just to be able to tell him what needs to be done or what I see in his game. Just being at the level that I'm at, I think will help him a lot. Suddenly, he doesn't take it for granted either, so it's really easy for me to talk to him … He's a fast learner too so a lot of stuff I tell him he's able to put into play, next game, next practice.”
“He’s always watching my games over, watching my film,” Cody said, “telling me, ‘Hey, this time, you should use your shoulder. On this one, you should have shot a fade away or get into the midrange and shoot a pull up.’ He has always given me advice on the court and off the court.”
Above all else in Williams’ development, however, is himself and his mindset to be a professional. If you ask his older brother, Williams’ mental ability is part of why he’s in the position as one of the NBA’s top prospects.
“Basketball is 90% mental,” Jalen said. “I think he has that aspect of his game, which I think is why he's been able to progress the way he has. Obviously, he has the athletic ability and talent and I think he understands the game really well. But I think when you understand the game well, you can also have fun with it … It's fun to watch him grow up and go through the same stuff.”
While it hasn’t been easy on Williams, he credits his calm demeanor to allow him to persevere, through pressure, injury, or general adversity.
“As far as having all the eyes on you, it's really easy to get distracted,” Williams said. “It's really easy to think down on yourself when you see other people having such great success. So, the biggest thing for me is just keeping my head down, keep working, staying humble. I started working out, started getting the looks, started getting the eyes. And another big part of that is being able to control that. Learn from my brother, kind of learning how to handle social media and all the eyes on you.”
With Williams expecting to hear his name echo throughout the Barclays Center on Wednesday night, having received a green room invite alongside da Silva, where he falls in the lottery remains somewhat of a mystery due to the “start, stop, start, stop kind of year” he had. Although, Williams could join his brother in OKC if still on the board by the No. 12 pick or potentially become the highest-drafted Buff ever.
Wherever the younger Williams lands, though, one NBA team will not only be snagging a lanky, athletic freak but also an individual with a mindset that is not necessarily teachable, especially when they specifically surround themselves with the correct people.
“I just kept challenging him each and every week, each and every day,” Boyle said about Williams. “The thing I love about Cody is he's so coachable, he wants to be great and he's going to be great. He's kind of grown up before our eyes.”
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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