Men's Basketball | 11/9/2025 11:37:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
TJ Williams, Wichitan, is a big deal because Shocker fans get a thrill watching hometown athletes.
 
Two games in, however, it's time to put that aside and focus on TJ Williams, good basketball player.
 
Williams, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman forward/guard/wherever you need him, scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and two steals and handed out five assists (one turnover) in his second college game. Wichita State defeated Prairie View A&M 105-62 on Saturday at Koch Arena with a well-rounded effort, which is exactly what Williams excels at going back to his career at Heights High School.
 
He calls that well-rounded game his niche. Years ago, he realized assets other than scoring matter. That is especially true moving to college. Basketball players who pass, defend and rebound also matter and he could do those things.
 
"My niche is getting rebounds, sharing ball, getting what I can, getting fouled," Williams said. "Not everybody's going to come in and average 30 points. You've got to find your niche early and I found mine."
 
Niche undersells what Williams can contribute, as his stat line shows. He made all 10 of his foul shots. He flashed his forward skills by rebounding (five offensive at the urging of assistant coach Josh Eilert) and defending all sized opponents. Williams' guard skills shine after a rebound when he can dribble up court and find open shooters. Early in the game, he grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled off a screen by center Will Berg and passed to cutting Karon Boyd for a layup.
 
Williams, who stat out last season due to a knee injury, starts at power forward for the Shockers. His contributions exceed that label.
 
 

4 did it all tonight.

14 pts | 11 reb | 5 ast | 2 stl | 10-10 FT pic.twitter.com/8ibJu6pUR5

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) November 9, 2025

 
 
"If you go look at his practice numbers, he's a two-to-one assist-to-turnover guy," coach Paul Mills said. "A double-double is pretty impressive for a guy in his second basketball game."
 
Williams, the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024, played point guard for Heights to help the Falcons win the Class 6A title in 2022 and finish second in 2023 and 2024. He, like most of his generation, grew up watching LeBron James combine size with court vision and passing to control games. James' style influenced Williams to influence games without shooting a lot.
 
"He was always on TV, always in the spotlight," Williams said. "Watching him with his big frame being able to pass the ball, dribble the ball, not really get sectioned into playing 'You're big, so you've got to go down low.'"
 
Williams' guard skills impressed teammate Kenyon Giles early in summer practices. Guard Dre Kindell, a quick and pesky defender, guarded Williams and Williams handled the pressure.
 
"Dre's a menace on the ball, and (Williams) looked like it was second nature," Giles said. "I love having TJ on the team. Guards are going to pressure us. We've got a guy like TJ who can relieve that pressure."
 
The Shockers (2-0) dominated Prairie View A&M (2-1), as expected. The schedule toughens considerably when former Missouri Valley Conference opponent Loyola visits Wichita on Thursday.
 
Mills wants to see Williams improve his shooting and ball-handling as the left-hander works on his right hand. He talked about Williams giving up easy angles to the basket in the scrimmage vs. Drake on the topic of defensive improvement.
 
"He's got a long way to go," Mills said.
 
It's a long way to go because Williams can already do so much. His potential, as Mills said, is enticing because of the starting point as a player who is willing to do things other than shoot to help the team.
 
 

TJ with the no-look dime 🫣@Tj_williams3 x @KaronBoydd pic.twitter.com/xvwELwMi3V

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) November 9, 2025

Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
 
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.