The American gave a candid interview to the Edinburgh News
With a burly 6ft 4in frame and bushy dark hair, JJ Williams wouldn’t look out of place on an NBA basketball court. Stick an LA Lakers vest on him and he’d fit right in. He’d probably score a few hoops with the kind of gallus swagger Hearts fans are getting used to. While Williams is very much invested in his football career, a basketball background is, ironically, helping him stay confident and resilient in Edinburgh.
No-one need remind the American that he could have more than one Hearts goal to his name since arriving from Rhode Island in August. Williams is eager to atone for chances missed in recent weeks but won’t fret unduly. He is 28 and sufficiently thick-skinned to cope with some frustration on his first club venture outside his homeland. He explained in an exclusive Edinburgh News interview how playing basketball gave him the kind of mindset required in Gorgie right now.
“Whenever you have a high standard for yourself, it’s like that,” he said. “I could score two and miss another two, but afterwards I’d be thinking about the two I missed. Whenever you want that best performance possible, it’s natural to feel like that. I know that, as long as I get chances like that, I’m going to bury them. It’s nothing that worries me. I’ll continue to get into those spots for the opportunities. I know the finish is coming. If my team-mates continue putting me in great positions, we will be in a very good spot, I promise you.
“I tell that to a lot of the young academy kids who train with us. It’s all about the next chance. I can’t speak about it if I’m not going to be in about it. Ten more chances could go, but I know I’m going to score the next 10. It doesn’t matter to me. I grew up playing basketball and my Dad always taught me to have a shooter’s mentality. ‘You have to keep shooting, you just have to keep shooting.’ There’s no way you are going to score if you don’t shoot.”
Williams has started one match for Hearts to date, the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Stenhousemuir in which he scored. He featured as a substitute in Saturday’s 5-0 win against St Mirren. “The starters put us in a good position for the subs coming on. We went ahead early in the game, then the game becomes open so it’s about making sure we get the next one,” he explained. “Then you close it out from there. Whenever a game is wide open, that’s always a dream for anybody stepping on the pitch to show what they can do.
“I love coming on, no matter when it is. There are plenty of transition moments and opportunities to attack. You know you are going to get chances. Hopefully we have some more games like that. I’m still learning chemistry with the guys. There was a move at the end of Saturday where, maybe if I’d played a bit more with Sabah [Kerjota], then we’d have had another goal in the net. I’m learning about the guys and learning their movements, what each one of their tendencies are. As I play more and see more of their tendencies, it will become easier to hit the back of the net.”
Off the field, Williams and his family are enjoying new surroundings. “I’m absolutely loving Scotland and loving Edinburgh. Everybody has been amazing here, super-friendly. Being from the south, southern hospitality is very real so I really appreciate that. I’m looking forward to the schedule. It’s going to be very busy but, as somebody who just got here, I welcome it. This gives more opportunities for me to show what I can do and hopefully be there when my team needs me. I’m looking forward to it.
“My family were just coming over during the break so we just got settled in and stayed around. It’s a new place for us so it felt like we were on vacation already. The international break was long for me because I just wanted to play and be on the pitch. Off the field, my family got settled and got their bearings.”
Thursday offers the chance for a European debut in the opening UEFA Conference League tie against Danish side Nordsjaelland. “I was talking with the staff about this,” said Williams. “When I haven’t played at this level or seen a lot of these teams before, I’m up for every game. I get excited for them all the same. Any time I get a chance to step on the field, I’m just trying to give 100 per cent. I’m really excited for Thursday. I know it’s very important for every player to be ready because we have a tough stretch of games coming up.
“The football is extremely well-organised here and the quality is really high. The staff and players did a good job of welcoming me and making it easy for me and my family. I just have to focus on my role. The transition has been a bit easier than I expected. I was already confident I could play at this level, but the welcome I got was fantastic. There was so much belief in me to keep putting me in those spots. It’s been very easy.”
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Most of the forward’s career has been played in the USL Championship, America’s second tier. The Scottish Premiership is a different challenge against some physical opponents. “I expect the contact because I know the contact is coming, but anybody who watches my game knows I invite that,” explained Williams. If I feel the contact then I know where the opponent is.
“The pace of the play is something I really appreciate. You can be in for a challenge, then the ball is fired wide and you need to be on your bike to get in the box. The guys we have out wide are going to constantly create chances, too. We have so much quality. I’m constantly learning. I want to grow constantly as an individual. This version of me I know is going to continue to get better and better for the rest of the season.”