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CHAMPAIGN – And then there were four.

Illinois' heralded freshman class, ranked No. 3 nationally last fall, has dwindled from six to four after Wednesday's announcement that the best of the group, Destiny Williams, is on an "indefinite leave of absence," the school said.

Williams was the nation's No. 8 recruit out of Benton Harbor, Mich. She joins guard Amber Moore on the sidelines. Moore tore her ACL in the first game and is out for the season.

"I'll refer to the statement I made (before the game)," coach Jolette Law said after the Illini's 77-59 victory against Central Michigan. "I don't know (if she'll play again). I doubt if she plays."

Law indicated the Williams saga has been a distraction.

"I've tried to focus on my team now, and we're concentrating on the games," she said. "It seems like that's been the topic every day. That's why I put the statement out there, so hopefully we can concentrate on my other 13 young ladies."

Law's pregame statement said Williams "is still attending classes and is part of the Illini family, however, she won't be participating in team activities while dealing with some personal issues."

Williams has played in one game, seeing seven minutes of action against Temple. Because of that, she is not eligible to redshirt.

Lou Harvey, Williams' high school coach at Benton Harbor, said this week he's surprised that Williams seemingly has not adjusted seamlessly to college basketball.

"She can fit in anywhere," Harvey said. "I can't see her struggling at a lot of things."

Harvey said Williams was often reserved, not saying much and "never making a lot of noise." But she wasn't an enigma, he said.

"To me, she was easy to read," he said. "The few times that I've talked to her, she seemed like she was doing fine. I didn't know she was unhappy about anything."