ALEXANDRIA, LA- Recently the Athletic Department of LSUA announced their inaugural class for the LSUA Hall of Fame, and former men’s basketball player, Jordin Williams, was one of the six to be inducted in. WIlliams was apart of the men’s basketball team from 2014-2018 and during his time he set many records as well as being named a NAIA All-American.
Below is a short interview will Williams as he discusses where he is at now in life, moments from his time at LSUA, and more.
What are you doing now professionally, and how did your time and experiences at LSUA help you reach your goals and current place in life?
Currently my family and I have moved to Michigan as I start a new career as an engineer with General Motors. This has been a lifelong dream of mine and a goal way before I ever thought about playing professional basketball. LSUA gave me a platform and opportunity to showcase my abilities on and off the court. I was blessed to be around some great individuals who pushed me each and every day to reach my full potential. The trials and tribulations that I endured during my 4 years at LSUA has taught me how far discipline, hard work, character and never giving up can take you in life. I would not be where I am today without LSUA and the great people I encountered.
What is your earliest memory from your sport? (Can be a lesson you learned, funny moment, etc)
My earliest memory of basketball is when I was about 10 years old and was on one of the best AAU teams in the nation (Bayou Flames). I never got in the game unless we were up by 40 points, which happened frequently. I finally reached a point where I had enough and wanted to give the sport everything, I had to be a better player. My parents never let me quit anything, but I remember going to them and telling them I wanted to quit baseball and start training for basketball. I wanted it to be my only focus. My parents looked at me like I was crazy. Baseball was my gift; I was a natural at it. I was one of the best pitchers in the state and all of travel ball, but I didn’t love it. I loved Basketball and was ready to give it my all and I did just that. Since that day, I worked and worked until I couldn’t work anymore and then I worked some more. Moral of the story is, I put in a lot of hard work, that most people think came easy.
What was your biggest accomplishment during your time at LSUA?
My biggest accomplishment during my time at LSUA would have to be graduating and meeting my wife, Bianca.
What was the biggest lesson you learned during your time at LSUA?
“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
With all that you’ve experience and knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give your freshmen self?
Honestly, I don’t have any advice for a freshman me, Coming into LSUA I had a clear plan of what I wanted for my life and basketball career, and I stuck to that plan every single day of my 1460 day career. But, to any other freshman out there I will tell you that there will be highs and there will be lows. Remember, to never get too high and never get too low. Anything worth having is anything worth working for and no matter how hard it gets, NEVER GIVE UP!
Who has had the greatest impact on your life- on the field/court or off?
Family is everything to me, my Mom always says, “It takes a village when raising a child” and I’ve had several villages of people in my life, not only family who’ve had to pour into me, give me advice, push me, punish me, guide me and I’m thankful for every single one of them. Coach Cordaro, Coach Jay Smith and Daniel “Dan the Man” Roy were three of the most influential people that I’ve encountered in my life. The mixture of hard work, knowledge of basketball and the will to be great was something like I’d never seen before and fell in love with. Today, my wife and I are blessed with two amazing sons Jordin Jr. and Jaxon Carter, who’ve pushed us in another aspect of our life to be better each and every day.
Williams and the other inductees will be honored on February 24th, 2024 at 11:00 AM during the LSUA Athletics Hall of Fame Brunch. Tickets for this event can be purchased here.
