Jada Williams has places to go and things to do.
Sheβs in a hurry.
And yet, for someone who used to walk around carrying a basketball everywhere she went when she was a little girl, Williams is savoring every moment.
This is true on the court, where Williams said sheβs already βbeen pushed to levels I didnβt know I had in me,β as the freshman has only been at Arizona since June.
And off the court, supporting her fellow student-athletes by going to volleyball matches, riding e-bikes or playing virtual reality games with her bestie, fellow freshman and former La Jolla Country Day teammate, Breya Cunningham.
All of this is done with a flare that is uniquely Williams.
Which includes what just might be the latest viral dance craze β The Jada.
Williams said this extra sense of purpose and gratitude for every moment has evolved over the past few years.
βI realized β¦ especially because COVID that it can be taken away, and I knew that I took it for granted,β Williams said. βNow, Iβm just playing every game like itβs my last. Every practice like itβs my last. Every lift like itβs my last. β¦ My No. 1 thing is bring the energy, bring the passion.
βIβm going to cheer my teammates on. Iβm going to celebrate. Iβm going to hype on my coaches. Iβm going to do whatever that may be. I just have a lot of energy when Iβm out there because I love what I do.β
Williams had the wind knocked out of her when Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. It was one of the defining moments of Williamsβ life.
Williams met Kobe when she was in middle school at a basketball tournament in California. He gave her tips, including challenging herself by playing a complete game with her left hand.
Bryant and Williams kept in touch until his death. To this day, she calls him one of her biggest mentors.
Kobe was also mentoring other young women, including Oregonβs Sabrina Ionescu (now in the WNBA), UConnβs Azzi Fudd and LSUβs Hailey Van Lith.
It wasnβt only Kobe who inspired Williams, it was Gigi, as well. Thatβs why after playing with Kobeβs number β24β on her uniform for a year, she switched to β2β and said that people now call her βJW2.β (J-dub two).
βI saw the light in Gigi, which Kobe had, as well,β Williams said. βShe was doing a fadeaway jump shot when she was in like fifth grade. Itβs ridiculous. β¦ (Their deaths) hit really hard, but just being able to wear the number two supporting Gigi because I knew her dreams were going to take her really, really far. You could just see. You could tell in her work ethic. Just being able to wear that (number), continue her legacy as many, many, many other basketball players are doing. I just think itβs special and try not to let it die. I think itβs just our motto weβre living by now.β
A chip on her shoulder
Williams also has a connection to another former basketball player: Betty Lennox, who won the 2004 WNBA Championship (and MVP honors) with the Seattle Storm, along with UA coach Adia Barnes.
Lennox was Williamβs first coach back in Kansas City β well before she moved to San Diego. Williams spent hours with Lennox learning how to dribble. Then, she started working with Marcus Walker. Williams said it was the two of them who βinstilled like a hunger in me to make it.β
βA lot of people especially on social media didnβt think I was going to make it because not a lot of people make it out of Kansas City,β Williams said. βI think that was just a target on my back, always a chip on my shoulder; just grind,β Williams said. βI think that they instilled that hunger in me and it just kept going my whole life. Today Iβm still hungry. I try to tell my teammates like we got to get that Natty. We got to get that Natty. β¦ I think we have a really good chance. Weβre really young, really new but weβre all eager to learn and win.β
Williams has big goals for the Wildcats but knows there are steps to complete before they get to the Natty.
The 5-foot-6-inch point guard brings a strong pedigree to Arizona as a McDonaldβs All-American, SLAM All-American and played in the inaugural Nike Summit last spring. Williams also played for USA Basketballβs U16 and U17 teams. She averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game in her senior season at La Jolla Country Day.
Still, she quickly learned this summer that playing at Arizona is unlike anything sheβs experienced before. First, there was a focus on the basics from when to do this type of pivot, reads off screens to jump stops, as well as basketball and Arizona terminology.
Then there is Arizonaβs defense.
The biggest thing Williams has noticed about Arizonaβs defense is βIntensity.β
βYou have to be intense when you play this type of defense. Weβre going to be flying around youβve got to be in shape,β Williams said. βOne thing our strength coach, Coach Chris (Allen) talks about a lot is being a pit bull. You have to be everywhere all the time, like no excuses about βoh, she was,β no, you got to be there.
βWe do the same drills back in high school, but just a different level of focus. A different level of intensity. Thatβs the word that keeps coming to my mind is just how hard we have to play defense. How little things matter about having your hands in the right spots, being able to interrupt the offense. Itβs just something that weβre really focusing on right now. Iβm excited because Iβve never played this type of defense before.β
<&rule>