It appears as though Latavious Williams won’t be playing at Memphis this season.

Williams, a talented and athletic 6-foot-8 forward who was ranked No. 17 in the nation by Rivals.com, put out a news release that he was going to be heading overseas.

"It was a difficult decision," Williams said in the release. "But after consulting with a number of people, and taking my family situation into consideration, playing overseas is the best move for me."

I honestly thought it was a joke, so I reached out to his AAU coach/mentor, Valerian "Scooter" Owens, for confirmation.

"Yes, it's true," Owens said. "It was a financial decision. He and his family felt it was the best thing for him."

According to sources, the Memphis staff, which was hoping he'd be eligible academically this year, still hasn't been informed of the decision by the Williams camp.

I imagine that it'll be a stretch for Williams to earn even $50,000 in a pro contract overseas. He has virtually no name recognition.

MEAC OFFSEASON RUNDOWN

Here's a MEAC league rundown. Please e-mail me at jngoodman@aol.com with any additions or corrections.

Bethune Cookman: The Wildcats will play in the South Padre Invitational and also will head to Costa Rica in August. Non-conference games include Mississippi State, Miami, VCU, Old Dominion and Central Florida. Three players – Alvin Pegues, Daniel Feliciano and Michael White – transferred out of the program.

Coppin State: Not a ton going on with Ron "Fang" Mitchell and the Eagles. Coppin will play at USC (Nov. 27), at Oklahoma State (Jan. 5), at West Virginia (Dec. 12), at Michigan (Dec. 22) and at Colorado (Nov. 16) in the non-conference.

Delaware State: The Hornets will play non-conference games at UCLA, Arizona, Arkansas and Ohio State.

Florida A&M: The Rattlers will play in the Cancun Challenge and also have non-conference games at Georgia Tech, Creighton, Florida and UAB and at home against Florida International and Georgia State. Two players – Donnell Webb and Josh Davis – transferred out.

Hampton: Pirates coach Kevin Nickelberry resigned to pursue overseas opportunities and was replaced on an interim basis by Edward Joyner Jr. Steven Zengel and Keith Coutreyer were retained and Darryl Sharp was added to the staff. Hampton will play in the World Vision Basketball Challenge at Wyoming on Nov. 27-29 with the host Cowboys, along with Monmouth and Pepperdine. Non-conference games include at La Salle (Nov. 14), vs. Iona (Nov. 17), vs. VCU (Nov. 23), against Virginia, at South Florida (Dec. 2), vs. Fordham (Jan. 3) and at Delaware, William & Mary and Towson.

Howard: The Bison will play in the Glen Wilkes Classic in Florida from Nov. 19-22 and also have non-conference games at Indiana, against Navy, at American and at George Washington. Three players – Anthony Thomas, Torrance Timothy and Chris McHenry – have transferred out of the prtogram.

Maryland Eastern-Shore: Shawn Smith left and was replaced by Nick Robinson, who was promoted from grad assistant. The Hawks will play in a tournament at Missouri State along with host Missouri State, Eastern Michigan and a team to be named later. Non-conference games include at Marquette (Nov. 17), at Nebraska (Jan.2) and at Oklahoma (Jan. 4). Three players – Chris Conner, Jaime Boyer (Frank Phillips JC) and Sammy Obetoh – transferred out of the program.

Morgan State: Assistant coach Darryl Prue left to take a spot at Georgetown and was replaced by Keith Goodie. The Bears will play in the Dr. Pepper Classic along with host Chattanooga, Long Island and Eastern Kentucky – and they also have non-conference games against Louisville, Arkansas, Minnesota and Baylor.

NC A&T: The Aggies will play in a tournament in Las Vegas along with Marshall, Lamar and Middle Tennessee State. The non-conference slate includes at Marshall (Nov. 15), at Ohio (Nov. 17), vs. Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 23), at UTEP (Nov. 25), at New Mexico State (Nov. 26), at Lamar (Nov. 28), at Miami (Dec. 21), at Tennessee (Dec. 23) and at Tulane (Dec. 30).

Norfolk State: The Spartans will play in the Basketball Travelers Classic at Illinois State along with the host Redbird, St. Bonaventure and SE Missouri State and will also play in the Sun Bowl Classic at UTEP on Dec. 28-29 along with UTEP, Niagara and Air Force. Non-conference games include at Baylor (Nov. 13), at Iona (Nov. 21), against Maine (Nov. 15) and against James Madison (Dec. 2) and Jacksonville State (Dec. 16).

South Carolina State: Assistants Hank Harris and Kyle Perry left the program and was replaced by Dwight Evans. Mike Walton was promoted from director of basketball operations. The Bulldogs had three players - Jamaal Day, Brandon Smalls and Jimmy Williams - transfer out of the program. Non-conference games include High Point (Nov. 30), at Furman (Dec. 18), at Iowa (Dec. 21), at Clemson (Dec 29) and at Charleston (Jan. 2).

Winston Salem State: The Rams will play in the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off in Oregon from Nov. 13-15 with the host Ducks, Colorado State and UC Davis. Non-conference games include on the road against Wake Forest, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Charlotte. Isiah Tucker has transferred out of the program.