Former Bishop Ford star Chaz Williams is on the move again. The freshman point guard has received his release and is transferring from Hofstra.
“It was a tough decision,” Williams said. “Hofstra’s a good program and I’m going to miss my teammates. Me and my family thought it was best to take my career elsewhere.”
The 5-foot-9 speedster said he’s already drawn interest from Big East programs Rutgers, Seton Hall and Providence, as well as LaSalle of the Atlantic-10.
“It is strange to go through [the recruiting process] twice, but it might be the best decision of my life,” Williams said. “I never close any doors when it comes to my recruiting process.”
Williams said his decision wasn’t based on the recent coaching change at Hofstra, as Mo Cassara replaced Tim Welsh, who resigned abruptly after a DWI arrest last month. But Williams said he might not have been leaving if Tom Pecora remained in Hempstead instead of taking the Fordham job.
“I don’t know,” Williams said when asked if he would have stayed if Pecora was still the coach. “It was a discussion me and my family had. Maybe, possibly.”
Williams was the face of the Bishop Ford program for three years, leading the Falcons to back-to-back appearances in the CHSAA Class A intersectional title game. As a freshman at Hofstra, he averaged 9.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
“I don’t know what most people’s expectations of myself are, but I know for the most part I think I did OK and I know I could have done better,” Williams said of his assessment of his freshman year. “To go to a higher level of play would be upon my development.”
Williams is the second former New York City high school standout to transfer from Hofstra, following Halil Kanacevic, a 6-foot-8 freshman power forward out of Curtis HS who will play at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia.
