MEMPHIS — Ex-Duke basketball player Elliot Williams says he'll transfer to the University of Memphis.

Williams, a rising sophomore guard, was granted his release Wednesday from Duke because his mom is sick.

He told The Commercial-Appeal on Saturday that he's planning to transfer to Memphis, in his hometown, because being closer to his family is the most important thing. It was one of the four schools he'd been considering, along with Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee.

He's declined to be more specific about his mother's illness.

He says he's seeking a waiver of the NCAA rule forcing student-athletes to sit out a year after transferring.