Jonathan Williams III dunks in the SEC opening win over LSU (photo/Mizzou Athletics)

Jonathan Williams III dunks in the SEC opening win over LSU (photo/Mizzou Athletics)

Updating our story from earlier, this morning, several media outlets are now reporting that Jonathan Williams’ father is confirming that the sophomore is asking for his release from the Mizzou basketball program.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports  first reported that Mizzou basketball sophomore Johnathan Williams III is considering transferring and is expected to announce a decision soon.  Williams was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder for a team that went 9-23.  J3 averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season.

This news comes exactly one week after it was reported that assistant coach Tim Fuller was leaving the Tigers program.  Fuller was responsible for recruiting Williams III. One of Fuller’s better finds, while still working under Frank Haith, J3 came to Missouri from Memphis where he was a top-50 recruit.

One of the unintended consequences of have no longer having Fuller on the staff.  The players he brought in may reconsider their reasons for staying and may question the level of loyalty.

Fuller could have left the Missouri program before the season with his head coaching gig at Florida A & M, but stayed to help see the transition through.  Now, one season later, that relationship went sour enough that there was a split?  Fuller was the one assistant coach who stayed through the bumpy transition between Haith and Anderson.  Even when Haith’s future was up in the air as to whether he would even have a job with Missouri while the whole Miami scandal went down, Fuller found and brought kids into the program.

Is this the first of many dominoes to fall with the exit of Fuller?