Men's Basketball Announces Addition of Chris Williams and Donyell Marshall, Jr.

Head coach Donyell Marshall and the Central Connecticut men's basketball team announced the additions of Chris Williams, who signed a National Letter of Intent, and Donyell Marshall, Jr., as a preferred walk-on to attend CCSU in the Fall of 2016. Marshall and the Blue Devils now have four commitments for the upcoming 2016-17 season.

Williams is a long, athletic 6-foot-6 guard/forward from Chicago, IL, and played at St. Rita High School under Gary DeCesare, a former college assistant and renowned high school coach. Williams earned Chicago Catholic League South Division First Team All-League honors and was a Daily Southtown All-Area Honorable Mention selection in 2016. 

He was part of a school that won four straight Catholic League South titles before emerging as a senior to lead St. Rita to a Class 4A Regional Final appearance after scoring a team-high 18 points in an upset victory over fourth-seeded Marist in the regional semifinals. He also played with the Team Rose AAU team.

"Chris is a very good, tough-minded Chicago player," said Marshall. "As soon as we saw him we knew he could play multiple positions and he has a very strong mid-range game. He was very well coached by coach DeCesare who has put a lot of kids in Division I during his time in both Chicago and New York City. We love the way he runs the floor and we are impressed with his intelligence on the court. Coach Anderson did a great job of getting him interested in Central Connecticut and making him and his family comfortable to commit to CCSU."

"Chris is an old school, throw-back player," said Gary DeCesare, head coach at St. Rita High School. "He has a great short game and he can get to the basket and pull up which is unlike a lot of players nowadays. He is a very good player for the Northeast Conference."

Marshall, Jr. attended Orange High School in Pepper Pike, OH. A 6-foot-6 forward, he helped the Lions post a 19-6 record overall, 9-5 in conference play, and advance to the Division II District semifinals as a senior where he finished with six points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots in his final contest.

An Associated Press All-Northeast Lakes District Division II Honorable Mention selection, he averaged 8.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 blocks per game as a junior. Marshall, Jr. is the youngest son of head coach, Donyell Marshall, and will join the team as a preferred walk-on.

"To be able to coach one of my kids is a dream come true," said Marshall. "As he has seen himself improve he has become more confident and he's going to continue to get better. To be able to coach him is something we talked about for years and obviously things have fallen into place. It's going to be great to coach my son and be a part of his college career."