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Mikey Williams, one of the top basketball recruits in the Class of 2023, is looking to change the national landscape. According to recent comments made by the combo guard out from San Ysidro in San Diego, California, he is considering playing collegiately for a Historically black college and university (HBCU).
Williams first raised eyebrows with his comments with a simple message on social media.
“Going to an HBCU wouldn’t be too bad…” he wrote on Twitter.
Williams expanded on his comments with a longer message on his official Instagram account.
“This has been a thought for years… this didn’t just recently pop up in my head,” Williams wrote. “What a lot of coaches don’t understand is that we don’t need them. WE CONTROL OUR OWN NARRATIVE!! I’m very thankful that God blessed me to be in the position to do that. We write our own stories… we determine what the next page in life is going to be… why does it always have to be the big universities? Why does it always have to be the big names? Have you ever thought about helping your own people out?? WE ARE THE REASON THAT THESE SCHOOLS HAVE SUCH BIG NAMES AND SUCH GOOD HISTORY.
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“But in the end what do we get out of it?? What a lot of Top-level athletes don’t understand is: if you’re a pro, then you’re a pro no matter what college you go to even if you don’t go to college. If you’re a killer, YOU ARE GOING TO KILL ANYWHERE. Not enough people speak on things like this and I’ve been meaning to do so and put some word out but I figured this would be the perfect time to do it.
“I’m going to keep it short and simple. I just wanted to let everybody know that I AM RIDING FOR MY PEOPLE! IM 10 TOES BEHIND THE BLACK COMMUNITY!! Any way I can help or make a change in the black community best believe I am going to do that. Only God knows what the future holds. But when that time does come that I have to narrow my schools down to whatever number it is…there WILL be multiple HBCU’s on that list! And they won’t just be there for show.”
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Since making his comments, Williams has received offers from Alabama State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Hampton, Howard, Morehouse, North Carolina Central, Southern, Tennessee State, and Norfolk State.
Whether Williams ultimately chooses an HBCU remains to be seen, but he would certainly throw a wrench in the college basketball system if he decided to take a different route than many of the top recruits before him.
