Memphis Tigers signee Mikey Williams has reached a plea agreement in his ongoing shooting case that could result in no prison time and the resumption of his basketball career.

During a readiness hearing Thursday, Nov. 30, in El Cajon (California) Superior Court, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of making criminal threats and admitted to the special allegation of using a firearm while making a criminal threat. This comes just two weeks before the start of a Dec. 14 jury trial for the nine felony charges Williams once faced for allegedly shooting at an occupied vehicle during a March 27 incident outside his San Diego-area home.

According to veteran criminal defense attorney Randy Grossman, who joined Williams’ legal team in October, Williams’ other eight felony charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

The lone felony charge Williams — a four-star combo guard in the 2023 class — is left with will be reduced to a misdemeanor and the special allegation will be dismissed during his Aug. 12, 2024, sentencing date if he completes anger management and gun safety courses, undergoes cognitive behavioral therapy and performs 80 hours of volunteer work service. Any criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation has the potential to invalidate the deal.

“Juries are unpredictable,” Grossman told The Daily Memphian on Thursday evening. “And our goal was to get Mikey on campus and back on the basketball court as soon as possible. We worked collaboratively with the district attorney’s office here in San Diego. I give them credit. They looked at this hard; they listened to the arguments that were made. And they, too, took into account Mikey’s age and his lack of any previous criminal history.

“What’s important to note is Mikey accepted responsibility for his actions. He did that by pleading guilty. He shared with me that he regrets what happened that night in March. And if he had to do it all over again, he would have responded differently.”

The 19-year-old Williams, who signed with Memphis in November 2022, was arrested April 13 and charged with five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle after a verbal altercation inside his home on March 27 led to him firing at a vehicle driving away from his property. Williams was released on $50,000 bail and pleaded not guilty to those six charges on April 20.

Then, three additional charges were added to his case after witness testimony in an Oct. 10 preliminary hearing revealed there were six individuals in the car fired upon — not five, as previously believed — and that Williams made threats before the shooting. The preliminary hearing was postponed three times after being originally scheduled for June 29.

After Williams appeared in court Oct. 24 for his arraignment, his trial date had been set for Dec. 14. Williams would have faced up to 30 years if he had been convicted on all charges.

The one felony charge and special allegation Williams now faces carry a maximum total sentence of 13 years in state prison.

“I feel good, brother,” Williams said in a video posted Thursday to X (formerly Twitter) by sports media platform Overtime. “All glory to God. I’m just happy that I made it out of this situation. I’m just excited to get back to the court.”

Despite the great deal of uncertainty throughout Williams’ legal saga, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has remained publicly supportive of the 6-foot-3 guard.

The Tigers program said in a statement Sept. 27 that Williams is enrolled in online classes at the University of Memphis and remains listed on the team’s online roster, but he would “not have access to team-related facilities or activities” as long as his legal issues remained unresolved.

“I think this young man obviously is going through something, and he hasn’t been found guilty of anything,” Hardaway told reporters in late October. “So we just have to continue to support him.”

Grossman said he spoke to Hardaway and Tigers athletic director Laird Veatch as recently as “about two weeks ago” via a Zoom call to keep them “up to speed” on what Williams’ legal team had planned. But there haven’t been “any specifics” laid out to Grossman by Memphis as far as legal parameters Williams would have to meet to be a member of the program in an official capacity.

A Memphis athletic department spokesperson told The Daily Memphian on Thursday that the program didn’t have “anything new” to offer on Williams’ status with the Tigers.

Still, Grossman added that he agreed to the Aug. 12 sentencing date with Memphis’ Aug. 26 first-day-of-classes date in mind.

“I’m appreciative — and I know Mikey is, too — that school officials (at Memphis) didn’t rush to judgment,” Grossman said. “They took a step back and said, ‘Hey, you need to deal with this stuff. And we’re here, and we’re supportive.’

“And hopefully with what transpired today, that’s the type of stuff that they want to hear and will help them make the decisions that need to be made to get Mikey back on campus and on the court.”

Though it appears unlikely Williams will be able to suit up for the Tigers during the ongoing 2023-24 season — before his charge can be reduced to a misdemeanor — Grossman said that decision would be “completely up to the school.”

Neither Hardaway nor the Tigers program have publicly commented since Thursday’s development.