Williams departure from IU not that surprising

When Nick Williams and Broderick Lewis (according to media reports) joined Malik Story on the last train out of Bloomington on Wednesday, much of the speculation about the immediate future of IU’s roster dissolved into the chilly spring mist.

Among the chief worries of IU fans throughout this season of waiting was concern over whether Tom Crean would have enough scholarship space to fit his six-man recruiting class for next year.

Now you have your answer, whether you like it or not.

Debate raged all season about who might stay or go, and why. Not a single scholarship Hoosier’s name wasn’t at least floated on some chat room wall or comment section.

The assumption was that Crean would have to “force” someone out, that this team composed of spring signings and undersized walk-ons would cling to the program like sailors grasping the last remnants of a sunken ship until pried loose against their will.

But the truth is that, in all likelihood, each of these young men left by his own judgment, free of influence one way or another from Crean or his staff.

Consider the start of Crean’s statement in the release regarding Williams’ departure: “After the season, Nick expressed displeasure with his role this year and also shared concern with members of our coaching staff about his future role in the program,” Crean said.

Listen. Players transfer. It’s nothing really underhanded or wrong; guys just realize that what was once a good fit for them now runs a little bit too tight.
It’s one of the most common occurrences in college sports, sometimes more so than winning itself.

Maybe they see the writing on the wall. Maybe strong competition has them worried that court time might decrease. Maybe campus is just too far from home.
But players transfer from every program, everywhere.

Consider this: Because of or nder Kelvin Sampson’s reign, Cem Dinc, Ben Allen, Joey Shaw, Xavier Keeling and Robert Vaden all left IU, and each for his own reason.
IU even has a transfer on roster.

What Nick Williams’ motivation was, I do not know.

My guess is he read the tea leaves, saw some talented players coming in at his preferred position and felt his best interests lay somewhere else.

In truth, with Verdell Jones likely to see more time at the two/three and Maurice Creek and Christian Watford both touted wing players, Williams’ decision to move on was probably smart, career-wise.

But looking for the meaning behind the meaning won’t get you anywhere.

Williams is not the first IU basketball player to leave the program, nor will he be the last. This, like so much else the Hoosiers have done this year, is about returning to the normal chaos that is college basketball today.

If this is the biggest offseason news out of Assembly Hall, it will be a therapeutically quiet spring and summer for Hoosier nation.