Texas Tech signs 2 granted 5th basketball seasons, including former forward Darrion Williams

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LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Darrion Williams has signed with Texas Tech to play a fifth season of college basketball, taking advantage of a recent court ruling that granted some players one more year of NCAA eligibility. He is returning to the Lubbock campus after being North Carolina State's leading scorer last season.

The Red Raiders on Friday announced the signings of Williams, a 6-foot-6 forward who previously played for them from 2023-25, and 6-8 transfer forward Jamichael Stillwell from UCF.

Williams and Stillwell were both high school class of 2022 athletes who became eligible for a fifth season after a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado last week ruled that all players in that class who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season this school year. The NCAA is expected to appeal that wide-reaching preliminary injunction after a group of current players sought to be part of the NCAA's new 'five for five” eligibility rule approved in June.

After playing as a freshman at Nevada, Williams averaged 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game over his two seasons at Texas Tech. He was NC State's leading scorer with 14.0 points per game last season, when he also averaged 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Williams has played in 133 games the past four seasons, starting 130 of them.

Stillwell averaged 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season for fellow Big 12 team UCF. He first played two junior college seasons, then averaged 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds with Milwaukee in 2024-25 before going to UCF, where last season he averaged 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball