After an official visit last Friday, blue-chip small forward Marcus Williams of Seattle committed this week to play for the UA men's basketball team.

The 6-foot-7 wing player joins Corey Hall, Fendi Onobun, and Jermichael Finley in the Wildcats' 2005 recruiting class.

Williams is rated in the top 50 by most recruiting specialists, and is the top player committed to the Wildcats for the 2005-2006 season thus far.

Arizona head coach Lute Olson and assistant Rodney Tension visited Williams at his house last week, his high school coach Bart Brandenburg said, and Williams came out to Tucson Friday to visit the UA campus.

Williams stayed with Hassan Addams and Jawann McLellan, and reportedly liked the Wildcats' style of running up and down the floor.

Williams, who attends Roosevelt High School, was concerned that the Wildcats were recruiting a lot of wing players, but was assured by the Arizona coaching staff that he would be the main wing player in the recruiting class, Brandenburg said.

"He felt that he would fit in very well," Brandenburg said. "Coach Olson did a great job on the trip. He was with Marcus the whole day."

When Olson and Tension traveled to Williams' house, Williams had just come off an official visit to Maryland, and, according to Brandenburg, was really impressed with the Terrapins.

"He was downplaying Arizona because he really liked Maryland," Brandenburg said."

But Olson's visit to Washington and the visit to Tucson changed all that.

"He liked the kids," Brandenburg said, referring to the other Arizona players. "He also liked the discipline and the whole setting of the program."

Ultimately, playing pickup games with the Arizona players convinced Williams that Arizona was the school for him. He enjoyed the fast-break basketball the Wildcats have been known for and thought that he could contribute to that style of play, Brandenburg said.