By SAM LANCE
MESA, AZ — Two of the highest scoring performances of EYBL Session 1 came from class of 2026 four-star Elijah Williams.
Williams — the 6-foot-6, 200-pound small forward from TMI Episcopal (TX) and the JL3 Elite AAU program — opened his summer by dropping just two points. But he didn’t let it faze him. Williams scored 29 points on Saturday vs. Team Takeover, then had a 35-point outing with eight rebounds and six assists vs. Meanstreets on Sunday.
The four-star currently sits sixth in points per game (22.0) out of all players at the 17u level. Williams describes himself as an all-around player who can shoot the ball and play great defense. He wants a Peach Jam title this summer.
5-star Elijah Williams at EYBL Session 1! @JL3Elite pic.twitter.com/IAI10U3eVv
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) April 28, 2025
“We have a really good group,” Williams told ZAGSBLOG. “Really athletic. Can defend, make a lot of shots. So I just think coming together more, we’ll be really good.”
Williams has NBA genes. His father, Monty Williams, played nine seasons in the NBA and coached for 17 years, including with the Phoenix Suns in 2020-21 when they made the NBA Finals. He’s now Elijah’s head coach at TMI Episcopal. The No. 1 thing his father has taught him?
“Just not letting the outside noise get to me,” Williams said. “It’s all about the work I put in.”
On the recruitment front, schools like Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Notre Dame and Texas have seen Williams at his high school prior to the AAU season. Williams has been on one official visit so far to Baylor. Here’s his breakdown of some of the schools involved:
Alabama: Coach [Preston] Murphy, coach [Nate] Oats. Really good program. They were really good this year. They are going to be a good program for years to come.”
Arizona: “Coach [Tommy] Lloyd and coach TJ [Benson] have been pretty solid with recruiting ever since I started high school. So I feel like that’s always just a big part of it for me. Really good [program]. They’ve produced a lot of players in the past and they have a really good recruiting class this year.”
Baylor: Coach [Scott] Drew, great guy. Really good program, really good team. So looking forward to getting to know them more too.”
Class of 2026 four-star small forward Elijah Williams on his official visit to @BaylorMBB. #SicEm https://t.co/wtaDGyEPih pic.twitter.com/2O4Nmtn0Gr
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) May 9, 2025
Kansas: “Coach [Kurtis] Townsend and coach [Bill] Self are just really good coaches. Big program, really good recruits coming in. So they’re going to be good this year.”
Notre Dame: “That’s where my dad went. Coach [Micah] Shrewsberry is a great coach. Coach [Ryan] Owens is really cool. So it’s definitely a school on my radar.”
Texas: “I haven’t been too in contact with them, but they reached out [with the new staff]. Sean Miller is a great coach obviously, but I still have to get to know them a little more.”
Williams said the coaching will be one of the biggest factors in his recruitment.
“The stability of the school,” Williams said. “Is [the coach] going to be there while I’m there, and am I going to get better while I’m there?”
Besides winning Peach Jam, this summer Williams wants to show coaches that he’s upped his game.
“I think that’s the biggest thing, just improving every year,” Williams said. “So just getting better from what they’ve seen in the past.”
Williams is ranked the No. 36 overall prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports.
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