What Heights basketball star TJ Williams is looking for on Wichita State recruiting visit

It has crossed the mind of T.J. Williams what it would be like to wear a Shocker uniform and play in front of Wichita State fans inside Koch Arena.

The Wichita Heights senior, the top-rated high school basketball player in Kansas in the class of 2024, will give the thought serious consideration on his official visit to Wichita State beginning Friday.

He could join a growing list of Wichita natives to play for the Shockers in recent seasons, which includes Evan Wessel (2011-16), Conner Frankamp (2015-18), Samajae Haynes-Jones (2017-19), Grant Sherfield (2019-20) and Xavier Bell (current player).

“It would be pretty crazy because of how loud it gets in Koch Arena,” Williams said. “I remember going to games when I was little, watching Ron (Baker) and Fred (VanVleet) play and it was an amazing experience. If I do end up going there, hopefully I could get the same results.”

It will be a short trip for the Wichita native, who lives five minutes from WSU’s campus. He has been a regular inside the Roundhouse during his high school years, as he was recruited by the previous coaching staff and the current one led by head coach Paul Mills.

That has led to a strong relationship being built over the years with the program, which ultimately earned WSU one of three official visits from Williams over the next six weeks. He will also visit Iowa beginning on Sept. 30, then Indiana State beginning on Oct. 5. He also previously visited Missouri back in February.

“I’ve got a good relationship with all of the players who were here last year,” Williams said. “I’ve been at Koch Arena a lot. I’ve seen the new weight room while it was getting built and now that it’s finished. Definitely appreciate Fred for getting that one done.”

Given his familiarity with the program and the facilities, Williams is most looking forward to the one thing he’s still learning about — the coaching staff.

This weekend will be about furthering his relationship with Mills, as well as assistants Kenton Paulino, Quincy Acy and T.J. Cleveland.

“Connecting with the coaches is definitely the thing I’m looking forward to the most,” Williams said. “It’s a whole new vibe with the new coaching staff, so just building those relationships.”

Williams, who was offered by Tennessee, Texas Tech, Missouri and Texas A&M last summer, said WSU, Iowa and Indiana State are currently the three schools in consideration for his services. He doesn’t have an exact date in mind, but “definitely” wants to make a decision before the start of his senior season at Heights in late November.

He helped lead the Falcons to the Class 6A state championship in 2022 and averaged 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks this past season, while being the only junior to earn Top-5 honors in Kansas. He is rated as the No. 159 prospect in the class of 2024 by 247Sports and is a unanimous three-star prospect by major recruiting services.

Williams, who said he has grown to 6-foot-6 this summer, is coming off a successful AAU season with KC Run GMC, as he averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 48% from the field in the Under Armour Next circuit playing alongside top-100 recruit Andrew Crawford.

“Playing off the ball was definitely something new to me,” Williams said. “In years prior, I always had good teammates on good teams, but never someone as highly-recruited as Andrew. It was different playing off the ball more, but it worked out very good. I think that helped my game.”

Williams projects as a combo guard at the Division I level, the exact type of recruit Mills will likely covet at Wichita State. Mills’ teams at Oral Roberts thrived on offense because they had multiple ball handlers on the court at the same time and Williams’ size and slashing ability seem readymade to translate in that kind of system.

Williams said he sees himself in a system where he can constantly attack downhill and make plays for himself and others.

“One of the more explosive wing players in the class of 2024, Williams is at his best when he’s playing in attack mode and attacking the rim,” read the scouting report by 247Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi. “He isn’t a flashy ball handler, but gets where he needs to go off of the dribble and is also a clever passer and playmaker who does a good job of reading ball screens. His jump shot is hot and cold, so as he gets more consistent there, he can really free up space to attack even more off the dribble. With his length and lateral quickness, he has the tools to be an excellent defender.”

Playing under Joe Auer at Heights, Williams has the discipline and effort level that stand out for a high school defender. And given his athletic skills, he believes he has the ability to be a plus defender at the next level.

“I think I’m very versatile on the defensive end,” Williams said. “I can guard a big, a guard, a wing, all of that. Defense has always been important because it wins games and we’ve seen the results (at Heights). When we won state, the last five minutes of the game we had five steals. So it really comes down to who wants it more on the defensive end. Obviously everyone can score at the Division I level, but to be different you have to be able to stay in front of the ball, take charges, box out, do the dirty plays.”