'Interesting how life plays out:' Inside Jeremy Sochan's Oklahoma roots

Aneta Sochan is most comfortable in big cities.

Sochan grew up in Warsaw, Poland — population 1.8 million — and she now lives northwest of London in Milton Keynes, England.

But for a few years in between, Sochan resided in Goodwell, Oklahoma, a tiny outpost tucked in the panhandle.

Sochan moved from Poland to the United States to play college basketball. After two years at East Central College in Union, Missouri, Sochan transferred to Oklahoma Panhandle State to finish her degree and playing career.

“And that’s how I ended up in the middle of nowhere,” Sochan told The Oklahoman, laughing over the phone from her home in England.

At Panhandle State, Sochan met Ryan Williams, a former Midwest City standout who played on the men’s basketball team.

Sochan and Williams had a son born May 20, 2003, in Guymon — 10 miles down the road from Goodwell.

They named him Jeremy.

Nineteen years later, Jeremy Sochan is a projected lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which starts at 7 p.m. Thursday from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Sochan, a 6-foot-9 forward who went one-and-done at Baylor, might even slip to the Thunder, which has picks at No. 2, No. 12 and No. 34. The 12th pick is right in the range where Sochan is expected to go.

If the Thunder selects Sochan, it will be the completion of a circle, bringing Jeremy back to the state in which he was born.

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Jeremy Sochan is an elite defensive prospect with a shaky jump shot, but he’s not void of an offensive game. Sochan is a smart passer with intriguing potential as a jumbo ball handler — a player archetype the Thunder loves.

Sochan’s court vision is hereditary.

“My mom was a point guard, so I learned a lot from her — IQ, basketball instincts and just reading the game,” Jeremy Sochan said.

Sochan got his height from his late father, a 6-foot-7 forward who played professionally in France and England after graduating from OPSU. Ryan Williams was 37 when he died in a car crash in Oklahoma City in 2017.

“We always empowered (Jeremy) to be himself and to create his own game,” Aneta Sochan said.

Out of respect, Aneta Sochan preferred not to discuss the details of her and Jeremy’s relationship with Ryan Williams. She instead wanted to focus on her son’s incredible journey from the Oklahoma panhandle, to growing up in England, to playing high school hoops in Indiana and Germany, to playing college ball in Waco, Texas.

His next stop will be an NBA locale.

“Since he was a teenager or even younger he was saying, ‘Yeah, I’m going to make it to the NBA one day,’” Aneta Sochan said. “We always said yes, of course, but first attend this practice or go and do your homework. We never shut down his dream.”

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A few months ago, Jeremy Sochan got curious about his birthplace.

He searched “Guymon, Oklahoma” on Google Images.

“Whoa,” Sochan said. “It looked a lot different than I expected.”

Jeremy moved to England when he was age 3, and that’s where he’s spent most of his life. He has an unmistakable English accent, but he has also embraced his mom’s ancestry by playing for Poland on the international stage.

“I don’t really care about what city I go to,” Jeremy Sochan said, “like, ‘It has to be near the beach,’ or something like that. It’s a great opportunity to experience another city, another kind of culture and new people. Just to fit in a new community will be cool for me.”

Aneta Sochan had a similar attitude when she moved from Poland to middle America in college.

“It was different of course,” Aneta said. “I kind of knew the states from East Coast, West Coast, (like in) the movies.”

Goodwell has a population just north of 1,000. It’s home to the No Man’s Land Museum.

“But it was OK,” Aneta said. “It’s who you are with, and we had a great team, we had great international students, so that was more important than where I was.

“And it was an experience. It was something new.”

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Jeremy Sochan’s first NBA workout, coincidentally, was with the Thunder.

“We’ve always said that it would be nice if he could end up with a team that would match his fit and a team that would recognize his skill set and who he is as a person,” Aneta Sochan said.

Jeremy Sochan grew up a Thunder fan, and his first NBA game was a 2013 preseason game in Manchester, England between the Thunder and 76ers.

Sochan is one of the most intriguing players in the draft. He’s a non-shooter who can still impact the game offensively with his feel and vision, and he might be the most well-rounded defender in the draft — a 6-foot-9 and 230-pound menace who’s perfect for today’s switch-heavy NBA.

Aneta, who coached Jeremy, always emphasized defense.

“How can you protect your home?” Aneta would ask him. “Then you can do something on offense. Offense will come to you.”

Sochan just turned 19, which means he still has time to refine his jumper. If that happens, look out.

“Having guys who can pass, dribble and shoot, and defend one through five really makes the game a lot easier,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said in the NBA Draft guide. “Jeremy definitely fits that mold.”

Sochan averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals off the bench for Baylor. He was named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in addition to making the conference’s All-Freshman team.

Sochan wasn’t seen as a lock to go one-and-done when he committed to Baylor, but his decision to declare for the NBA Draft was eventually an easy one.

On Thursday night, Sochan will be the only Oklahoma-born player picked. His mom, Aneta, will be in the green room with him.

A homecoming might be in order if the Thunder selects her son.

“It’s interesting,” Aneta said, “how life plays out.”

2022 NBA Draft

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

TV: ESPN

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Interesting how life plays out:' Inside Jeremy Sochan's Oklahoma roots