‘Family is behind you’: Why Heights basketball star TJ Williams signed to Wichita State
With more than 100 family members and friends in attendance, Wichita Heights basketball star T.J. Williams made his commitment to the Wichita State men’s basketball program official on Wednesday.
Family was the overarching theme from the celebration of one of Wichita’s best basketball players, from his relatives who were proudly wearing WSU-themed shirts with “I got my city right behind me” written on the front to his high school basketball teammates to Shocker fans already there to support.
When deciding between WSU, Missouri and Iowa, Williams kept coming back to family and the display of support on Wednesday only furthered his belief that he made the right choice in deciding to play for his hometown Shockers.
“Family means everything to me,” Williams said after signing his letter of intent. “I mean, look around. I had family who took off work to come here, I had family who came out of town for this just to show their support. That’s what we do. Our family rolls pretty tight and they’re going to roll with me to WSU.”
No one in the gymnasium was more proud than Tim Williams Sr., who gave T.J. his namesake and watched him grow into a state champion and Division I-bound basketball player.
“I knew he was special as soon as he picked up a basketball,” Tim Sr. said. “Everybody kept saying, ‘He’s different’ when he was a kid, so protect him, do all that you can. The first day he told me he wanted to play basketball, I said, ‘Are you sure?’ He said, ‘Yes sir.’ And I told him, ‘I’m going to put everything I got behind you’ and now here we are today. It’s all paying off.”
Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, you name it and they were there from Williams’ family on Wednesday.
These were people who were there for T.J. long before he became a star basketball player. They used to drive him to basketball practice or tournaments when his parents couldn’t and stay over for a night during the summer.
Whenever T.J. and his family needed them, they were there. And that’s why family played such a large part in his decision to take his game four miles down the road on Hillside.
“When in doubt, you got your family,” T.J. said. “When you are at your low, you got family behind you. When you’re at your high, family is behind you. I think everybody here I’ve spent a night at their house and they’ve spent a night at mine. I love my family, man, and they showed out today.”
His father believes that hometown support will only help him during his college career with the Shockers.
“Some kids go out of state, across the country and they look up in the stands and they don’t have that support,” Tim Sr. said. “Staying home, where you got your family behind you, that does something. That means a little more. That makes you go a little bit harder because he’s playing for something bigger and that’s to make all of us proud.”
Having such a large and supportive family also has its other benefits.
“We’re going to keep him in line,” Tim Sr. said laughing. “One hair gets crossed, we’re going to get him back in line.”
Turning in a black-and-red uniform for a black-and-yellow uniform has gone pretty well in the past with Antoine Carr, Aubrey Sherrod and Evan Wessel forming quite the formidable Heights-to-WSU pipeline, but Williams has business he feels like he has to attend in his senior season with the Falcons before he turns his attention to college.
After winning the Class 6A state championship as a sophomore in 2021, T.J. and the Falcons lost in the state final this past season. With the 6-foot-4 guard, who is considered a top-200 prospect in the class of 2024 recruiting rankings, entering his senior year, Heights will be a contender to add another trophy to Williams’ collection.
“T.J. is the pied piper in our gym because people just like to be where T.J. is,” Heights coach Joe Auer said. “All of his teammates are here today because he is nothing but positive energy. I’m glad Evan is here today because T.J. and Evan are probably the two greatest leaders that I’ve had here in terms of influence over others on a daily basis. Wichita State is getting a special player and an even better kid.”
Tim Sr. has been attending WSU games at Koch Arena for years. He still couldn’t comprehend what it would be like to watch his son run through the tunnel in a Shocker uniform and hear his name in the Roundhouse.
But when that moment comes, the Williams family might take up an entire section at Koch Arena.
“I honestly have no idea how I’m going to react,” Tim Sr. said. “I’m probably going to be speechless. I know it’s going to be a surreal moment. When that day comes, I’ll probably sit up there and they might see me cry for the first time. But after that, I’m into the game.”
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