Brandon Williams is still part of Arizona's program on a full scholarship and he is taking a summer school class. When the sophomore guard from California will be able to get on the court again still remains uncertain, however.
Williams missed time at the end of his freshman season and proceeded to miss his entire sophomore season because of a congenital knee issue that has plagued him going back to his days as a high school player. He had surgery on the knee as a high school junior and it forced him out of action that year. Williams had surgery again last spring, and he has been rehabbing ever since.
However, that has been plenty of speculation that the knee issue, which Miller says should not be considered an injury, could force him out of his college basketball career. Williams hinted during a recent interview that "where" he would be playing next season is somewhat in question.
Miller still doesn't have much clarity on the situation himself, but he explained what he could about Williams' future with the program during a Zoom call with local media on Tuesday afternoon.
"I think his status hasn't changed," Miller said. "He's on full scholarship. He's finishing up the spring semester, as a matter of fact he's in a summer class right now. Our hope is we need to be able to get him back, whenever we get clearance, so that he can finish a very crucial part.
"Not until we cross that will he completely feel comfortable on when and if and how that's gonna work on getting back onto the court. So, that's why it's somewhat ambiguous. It's nothing that we're trying to hide. ... Some of the things that have been reported about with the standing of his knee aren't necessarily true, and the biggest reason is it's the unknown. Let's hope the last part of his recuperation, rehab and the healing goes well but it's still a 25% part of it that's missing. When we get through that I think we'll all be able to give you where he's at and I think we're hoping this will lead him back onto the court."
That 25% number that Miller referenced is something that will be key for Williams in his quest to return to the floor. The UA head coach said that when college basketball came to a halt is right when the sophomore guard was heading into the last quarter of the process that will lead to his return to the floor.
"It's a unique type of surgery," Miller said. "It's certainly a type of surgery that takes you out of all activity for more than a year. So, if you do the timeline, right when the COVID-19 situation affected the world it might have affected Brandon as much as anybody because the last 25% of rehab, recuperation and especially coming back from a surgery of that magnitude that may be the most crucial part.
"It's the time when you're put on the court with others. It's the time where you get cleared to do more than just straight-line running, jumping, going side to side and shooting. Then you start to monitor his symptoms. Does he experience swelling when you do this? No.
"... He hasn't played five-on-five basketball in quite some time. So, without his ability to finish everything that we set out to finish, what he did is what all of our players did. He went home, finished school and did the best that he could. So, he's still in conversations with the doctors, but as of even five to seven days ago he hasn't even really been able to get evaluated by any doctor based on nothing injury related but all the COVID."
Miller said he understands that there has been some uncertainty about Williams' status based on the remarks the UA guard recently made about not knowing where he would play in addition to the Wildcats currently being over the scholarship limit for the 2020-21 season and Williams potentially being the odd man out.
The Arizona head coach said he believes a lot of the uncertainty has come about, in part, because of frustration at the situation.
"You're talking to him at 19 and imagine how he's champing at the bit just to get back out there," Miller said. "I think when he reads that he's not gonna play, he's not gonna be as good or this and that about his surgery like all of us he wishes he had the answers. He doesn't completely have them all. So, I don't at all look at him as speaking out even out of some frustration.
"Heck, I'm frustrated and I'm his coach. I'm frustrated for him. You can imagine how he feels. So, I think the number one thing we can control is whenever we're allowed to get him back here we're gonna do that. He'll have our doctors, we'll have new MRIs, he'll be able to hopefully pick up where he left off and give it his best to finish what he started. For us or anybody to speculate on his future when he was never able to finish the crucial part of his recovery that's just not fair right now and I think we have to let this play out."
Miller remains confident that the scholarship situation and how it could impact Williams will be solved by the time the fall semester begins. UA is currently one scholarship over the 13-man limit allowed by the NCAA.
"It's late May," he said. "I've thought about it many, many times this spring. If you go back a year ago, we had I think three, maybe four, things that happened in terms of our roster changing from the Memorial Weekend until we began the fall semester. There's different guys that have some academic work to do. In our case, clearly, we're working hard from an international perspective that we have any problems solved and working there.
"... I think when we get through the summer and we show up in the fall we'll be at 13 scholarship players, and I think that it will all work out. I say that with great confidence. Work out not only for our program, but I think work out for everybody that we're involved with at the moment."
DISCUSS: Miller comments about Brandon Williams' status this spring
