MISSOULA — Sophomore guard Money Williams is taking a leave of absence from the Montana men's basketball team in the wake of his mother's death.
According to a press release Thursday, Williams has returned to his home in Oakland, Calif., to take care of his siblings after his mother, Latoya Bailey, passed away in her sleep on Oct. 12. Williams' father, Money Williams Sr., passed away on Nov. 29 of last year, and just a few days later, Williams scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 75-58 Griz win over San Jose State in honor of his father.
On a GoFundMe page created by the family asking for support, Williams stated, "With the passing of both our parents, my older sister Mo'Ney and I have become responsible for our three younger siblings: Joanna, Jermaine, and Jeremiah Benson. The weight of this responsibility, coupled with our grief, is immense."
According to the release, which was issued by GoFundMe communications manager Jeff Platt, Williams is faced with the choice of leaving UM and the basketball team indefinitely "or risk these children being separated in the foster care system."
To read the Williams' story on its GoFundMe page, click here. MTN Sports confirmed with UM Thursday evening that Williams had stepped away from the team and was back home to be with his family.
Williams came to the Montana basketball program in 2023 as an anticipated recruit from Oakland High School, where he won a state championship as a high-scoring guard.
As a freshman at UM last year under coach Travis DeCuire, Williams appeared in 12 games (with six starts) prior to suffering a foot injury on Dec. 19 at UC Davis that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
In those 12 games, Williams showcased star potential as one of UM's best players after averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He was named the Big Sky Conference player of the week on Dec. 5.
