MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Junior small forward BillyDee Williams is leaving the West Virginia basketball program after one season.
Coach Bob Huggins announced the transfer late Monday night via email to reporters.
“BillyDee and I met, and we mutually agreed that he should transfer to another school for his senior season,” Huggins said. “We thank BillyDee for his contributions to Mountaineer basketball, and we wish him success in his future endeavors.”
Some roster attrition seemed imminent when West Virginia stepped up its recruitment of Northeast (Neb.) Community College guard Buay Tuach last week. WVU is losing three seniors from its 25-11 squad and has three incoming recruits signed for next season.
Williams arrived from junior college last June, a late signee himself as the Mountaineers sought to replace transfers Eron Harris, Terry Henderson and Remi Dibo.
Though Williams was a double-digit scorer at Iowa Western Community College as a freshman and again at South Plains (Texas) Community College as a sophomore, he averaged only 1.2 points and shot 22 percent in 18 games at West Virginia.
Sidelined by a fractured orbital bone during a preseason rebounding drill, Williams missed the first six games and averaged only 7.3 minutes when he finally cracked the rotation. Though Huggins complimented his athleticism, Williams never caught on to West Virginia’s pressing style. And he didn’t make enough shots to offset his defensive lapses, starting the season 0-of-10 before scoring his first points in the Feb.16 home upset of Kansas.