Xeyrius Williams announces decision to play for Akron Zips

Former Dayton Flyers forward Xeyrius Williams will play his final season of college basketball at the University of Akron.

The Wayne High School graduate Williams announced his decision Monday. He will have to sit out the 2018-19 season and will finish his career with the Zips in the 2019-20 season. In posts to Twitter and Instagram, Williams thanked the Dayton fans who watched him play the last three seasons.

“You guys have been there through the ups and downs,” Williams wrote. “I also want to thank all the people, managers, coaches and especially my teammates/brothers who I had the opportunity to play alongside. You guys have all influenced my life in a positive way, and I’ll always cherish the brotherhood and the memories we made as a team.”

Williams also visited Kent State, according to his Instagram account.

pic.twitter.com/PTG28sffd6
— ☆Xeyrius W. 20☆ (@20Rated_X) April 23, 2018

Thank You Flyer Fans, I just want to take the time to thank all the Dayton fans. You guys have been there through the ups and downs. I also want to thank all the people, managers, coaches and especially my teammates/brothers, who I had the opportunity to play alongside. You guys have all influenced my life in a positive way and I’ll always cherish the brotherhood And the memories we made together as a team. Also I want to thank the coaches who recruited me this second go around. After strong consideration and prayer this was a tough decision. I’m choosing to leave Dayton and proceed with my academic and athletic career at The University of Akron #GoZips #PaybackSZN

A post shared by Xeyrius Williams (@xwilliams20) on Apr 23, 2018 at 1:29pm PDT

Williams announced March 13 he was leaving Dayton. He was one of five underclassmen to leave the program. He appeared in 18 games last season, averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds as the Flyers finished 14-17. He had a breakout year as a sophomore, averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.

» RELATED: Josh Cunningham named Dayton’s MVP

The season did not go as planned. Williams started the season in the starting lineup and played 34-plus minutes in each of the first four games, averaging 11.3 points. Then he missed the next five games with a back injury.

Akron was 14-18 last season, the first for head coach John Groce. That ended a streak of 12 straight 20-win seasons. Trotwood-Madison grad Torrey Patton played for Akron last season as a freshman but announced he was transferring earlier this month.

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