Yorick Williams: Focusing on family and basketball helped me steer clear of gangs

There was a moment during the March encounter between the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and the Newcastle Eagles, when Yorick Williams seemed to revert to type. At least that was the general consensus following Williams’ foray into the Sport Central Arena crowd during a BBL League clash.

And that doesn’t surprise me.

Let me expand on that comment a little: Yorick engaging with the crowd from close range during the game (as was suggested), surprises me. The perception that Williams is a bad guy, does not.

It doesn’t surprise me that folks judge Williams based solely on his on-court dealings, that’s all most fans see. But what about the other half of Williams’ life, his time away from the game?

Following the Riders deflating conclusion to the 2011/12 season, I asked Williams how he planned on spending his off-season, fully expecting the veteran to utter the words ‘beach’, ‘3 months’, ‘rest and relaxation’ (Williams is 36 years old – that body needs time to heal.)

The answer I got from the 6’5 guard, couldn’t have been further from what I expected to hear:

“I do some one-to-one work at Ellesmere Sports College for Special Needs in Leicester, figuring out how I can get children who are struggling in the classroom to be reintegrated back into the classroom by behaving,” said Williams.

“Some of these guys have ADHD problems so the college is there for these kids. And it’s my job to deal with the children that are being a bit more disruptive than the others and get them to do their work.”

Williams went on to say “And I work with a homeless hostel in Manchester helping homeless 16-30 year old men; asylum seekers, refugees, self harm, abused guys who have shunned away from society. It’s my job to recognise their support needs, deal with their support needs and get them back into mainstream society and back in society.”

MIND = BLOWN.

What motivates a man who attended a US college and has played professional basketball in two countries (Greece and the UK) for over half of his life, to spend his free time helping others when he could just as easily sit back and take a well deserved break from, well, everything?

“I think my life, through basketball, has been quite fun and quite easy,” said Williams. “And I see some of these other people on a day-to-day basis who have not had the discipline or mentors or people round them that I have. So for me, if I can show these guys – I mean, I grew up in Moss side, it was rough as hell but through focus in sport I achieved what I wanted to achieve.”

Williams grew up, as he says, in Moss side under the watchful eye of mother Myrtle and father Earl Williams: “My mum and dad ran quite a disciplined household,” recounted Williams.

“I was quite under manners with my mum, dad and my granddad, it’s just the way my family was. Very disciplined as such.”

Being raised in Moss side means two things are near inevitabilities: Jail or a premature death. Williams, however, beat the odds, avoiding both outcomes thanks to the love and guidance of his immediate family and by focusing on sport from a young age.

“My mum and dad had a lot to do with it as far as teachings and as far as right and wrong. Seeing the guys and what they were doing on the street was never my cup of tea.

“The streets around me; there was a lot of gang culture, drugs and most of the lads I grew up with are either in jail or dead,” says Williams matter-of-factly. “People make life choices and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to survive. (But) it wasn’t all about gangs that were around me, I didn’t do all that. I always had sport.”

In 2012, where it seems like every other day you read about another young life being lost to gang violence, Williams should be held up as a positive role model for the strength he showed as a youth to become his own man.

Williams’ enjoyment of basketball from a young age (‘From 11 in high school I was playing basketball.’) grew into a desire to play the sport past school years and at the age of 17, he signed his first professional contract for the Manchester Giants, coached at the time by Mike Hank.

But it wasn’t quite the fairytale that the home town Williams had hoped for, finding himself on the outside of the squad and looking in despite 17 points on his rookie début.

“Players came in, Americans came in and my minutes just dwindled,” remembered Williams. “I would go in, do my thing and just kind of get sat down. But it was a learning experience.”

Disappointment at seeing his career stalling in Manchester, the then 22 year old Williams accepted an opportunity to attend St Petersburg College in Florida – a world away from Moss side and the BBL – an experience that allowed Williams to showcase his talent and renew his self-confidence.

“I only went to America because I was playing basketball for the Manchester Giants but I really just sat on the bench. I had the opportunity to get a scholarship so I took it.”

“It was good, we made it to the Nationals. We won our conference, made it to the Nationals and got beat in the semis – it was a good experience. I ended up being the second leading scorer in the Conference in school.”

Returning from the States in 1998, Williams rejoined the BBL, this time with Bob Donewald’s Derby Storm where he spent a year before moving on to spend time in Birmingham (becoming good friends with Rob Paternostro in the process), Greece, Essex, Brighton, Milton Keynes and finally, Leicester.

It’s a basketball career that has spanned an impressive 19 year period and although there are probably one or two more chapters left in Yorick’s hardwood story, he is already planning for a future that allows him to give back and revert to type:

“I’m going to sit down with Leicester (in the Summer), see what’s going on there because I’m looking to teach in the schools.”