Former Syracuse basketball player DeShaun Williams has enrolled at Iona, and plans for him to compete for the Gaels in the 2003-04 season could be completed by Thursday, Iona head coach Jeff Ruland said yesterday.

Williams, who would have been SU’s leading returning scorer this season, flunked out of Syracuse in July. According Ruland, the shooting guard will pay to attend Iona out of his own pocket this year and has applied for financial aid and loans. Willaims will sit out a season because of NCAA transfer rules but can practice with the Gaels in 2002-03.

“He’s been accepted, and he’s got his schedule,” Ruland said. “One more thing has to be taken care of in the next couple of days. I’m not at liberty to say (what that is).”

Williams could not be reached for comment. He will likely arrive at Iona Tuesday, when classes begin.

A restaurant and food service management major in the College of Human Services and Health Professions, Williams could have earned a B average at another college this semester and reapplied to Syracuse in the spring. He could also have redshirted the 2002-03 season, improved his grades and returned for his last year of eligibility in 2003-04.

On a recruiting trip to Las Vegas in late July, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim spoke to Ruland about Williams’ situation. The conversation piqued Ruland’s interest, and Williams visited Iona soon thereafter.

Ruland admitted to concerns about Williams’ troubled past. Last November and December, Williams served a three-game suspension for driving while ability impaired. He was found innocent of assault charges July 2 following a bar brawl at Konrad’s.

“We’re concerned about everything that they do,” Ruland said. “But he’s gotten a raw deal in some cases. Other things he’s taken responsibility for. We don’t have a lot of rules here, but the ones that are, they’re set in concrete.

“You have to go to class and work hard, on and off the court. Also, don’t embarrass yourself, the school and me. He totally understands that..”

Williams is the fourth Syracuse basketball player to transfer in the last year. Forward Mark Konecny, point guard James Thues and forward Greg Davis all bolted for other schools. Williams’ departure means Syracuse enters the year with just nine scholarship players.

The sometimes electrifying, sometimes uninspired Williams would have been one of two seniors for SU. A 6-foot-3, 202-pound Paterson, N.J., native, he averaged 15.9 points last season.

“He’s making an investment in Iona,” Ruland said, “and we’re making an investment in him.”

Published on August 27, 2002 at 12:00 pm