Birmingham Brother Rice basketball coach Rick Palmer is thrilled Monty Williams is the new Detroit Pistons head basketball coach.
After all, Williams is sending his talented son, 6-foot-6 sophomore small forward Elijah Williams, to Brother Rice.
Elijah Williams, ranked No. 3 nationally for the 2026 class by ESPN, played his freshman season at Scottsdale Christian Academy while his father was coaching the Phoenix Suns.
Williams already owns offers from Notre Dame, Washington, Missouri and Arizona with the Arizona offer coming earlier this month.
“He’s coming here to Brother Rice,” Palmer said of Elijah. “I have not seen him. He was down in Missouri for NIKE Top 100 Underclassmen Camp, but I talked to him for the first time today. He seems like an unbelievable kid who has been through a lot in his life. He’s super humble and I’m really excited to have him as a part of our team and our community.”
Elijah lost his mother in a tragic car crash more than seven years ago.
Brother Rice graduated three Division 1 players from its Catholic League championship team but returns 6-5 Warren Marshall who has an offer from Oakland.
Palmer said 6-8 sophomore Trevor Smith is transferring to Brother Rice from Okemos.
dave.goricki@detroitnews.com