Williams Leaving Maryland; Destination Unknown

Brian Williams, saying he is definitely leaving the University of Maryland, confirmed Wednesday night that he will take summer classes at UCLA but added that any talk of him playing for the Bruin basketball team in the future is premature.

Williams, a powerful 6-foot 10-inch center who played his senior season at St. Monica High School in Santa Monica, would be a major addition to any program. For now, though, he said he is concentrating on final exams and refused to name any schools under consideration, although he admitted a slight preference for returning to the West.

“I would like to go back to the West Coast,” he said. “But I want to go somewhere (that) I will make progress as a player and a person. . . . I know a couple of schools out there I like--Loyola Marymount and UCLA. But on the whole, I still have to do some research on everyone. It is possible I would consider those two.”

Williams, who started 29 games for Maryland last season as a freshman, has no timetable for his decision. After classes end, he will return to Southern California and discuss the situation with family members before starting summer school, but he said that his attending UCLA “will have no bearing on what I decide for the future.”

He also disputed some reports on why he will leave Maryland.

“It’s not that I was homesick,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the Maryland community; I’ve grown to like the surroundings and the campus. It’s strictly professional reasons between myself and Coach (Bob) Wade. It was nothing personal, but I wasn’t pleased with the way I was progressing and growing. . . . I didn’t think I was learning basketball as much as I would like to.”

Schools are not allowed to talk with Williams until he has been released from his commitment by Maryland. Williams, who would have to sit out next season, said he hasn’t been released yet but expects to be soon.