Murray State transfer KJ Williams on Thursday committed to play for head coach Matt McMahon next season with the LSU Tigers, the program announced.
The news was first reported by Joe Tipton of On3.
Williams was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging a career-high 18 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 34 games. He helped lead the Racers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this year before losing to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
The 6-foot-10 forward announced in March that he would declare for the NBA draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. He then entered the transfer portal and opted to reunite with McMahon, who was named head coach of the Tigers on March 21.
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Williams is highly touted for his scoring and rebounding ability. He can score in a variety of ways and has a solid 3-point shot, converting on 32.7% of his 3.3 attempts last season. He also has good size at 245 pounds, which figures to translate well to the SEC next season or the NBA.
The 22-year-old is not currently projected to be drafted and could elect to return to college. He will have the opportunity to meet with teams and gain feedback on his overall skill set and make a decision prior to the June 1 early-entry withdrawal deadline.
The NBA draft will take place on June 23.
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