Elite 2018 prospect Zion Williamson sets decision date

There’s no telling where the Kansas men’s basketball team will be two weeks from now, either in terms of its record, its standing in the Big 12 Conference or what the roster will look like.

This much we know for sure, though. The Jayhawks will know in two weeks whether they will be adding one of the top players in the country into the mix next season.

Zion Williamson, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound monster of a man who ranks as the No. 2 player in the 2018 recruiting class, announced on Twitter that he will make his decision on January 20.

While most people have started leaning toward the highlight machine from Spartanburg, South Carolina, staying close to home for college — Clemson, South Carolina and Kentucky all are in the running — the Jayhawks have not been eliminated yet and Bill Self and company spent just as much time as anybody out there going after this big time player.

Williamson made his official visit to KU during Late Night and was serenaded with chants of his name from the Allen Fieldhouse crowd as he walked onto the court and took his seat. Smiling big, Williamson waved to the crowd and appeared to love every second of it.

That’s not to say he did not enjoy his visits elsewhere just as much, but it’s worth noting that Williamson clearly enjoyed himself at Kansas. The versatile forward also hosted KU’s coaches for an official in-home visit during this process and saw Self and company standing in the crowd for several of his AAU and high school events.

Known for his eye-popping dunks and athleticism and big time ability as both a passer and a rebounder, the one knock on Williamson continues to be his shooting ability, but the pros in his game far outweigh the cons in the eyes of most coaches.

Officially, Williamson is down to Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina. He was only able to make official visits to four of those six schools, but because of his proximity to both Clemson and South Carolina, he is very familiar with the two schools closest to his high school.

247 Sports, which joins Rivals.com in listing Williamson as the No. 2 overall player in the 2018 class, has Clemson and Kentucky as the co-leaders in their Crystal Ball rankings, with each program picking up 41 percent of the predictions. Kansas and North Carolina are next with 6 percent apiece, with Duke and South Carolina considered longshots.

Despite the good time during his trip to Lawrence, people have speculated for weeks that KU is all but out of the running for Williamson, mostly because his family would like to see him stay close to home.

“He has taken official visits to Kansas, UNC, Duke and Kentucky, and any of the four would love to add the talents of Williamson,” wrote Rivals recruiting analyst, Corey Evans. “However, the talk lately has centered around the Clemson basketball program. Off to its best start since the hiring of Brad Brownell, the Tigers have sold (Williamson on) the idea of playing for his home state and (Clemson) is also the place where Williamson’s stepfather, Lee Anderson, played his college ball from 1981 to 1983.”

Nothing will be official until Williamson makes the announcement, which is now a little more than two weeks away.

KU plays at home against Baylor on Jan. 20 and that game is sandwiched between road games at West Virginia (Jan. 15) and Oklahoma (Jan. 23), so, clearly, the Jayhawks will have plenty on their minds on Williamson’s decision day.

This merely adds to the list and is worth tracking, even if the Jayhawks appear to be a longshot at this point.