{Correction: an earlier version of this story referred to Maurice Williams as Maurice Washington.}
It was Jan. 14 and the Hamilton West boys basketball team had just sleep-walked through a rough first quarter at Trenton High. The Hornets trailed 18-7 and Maurice “Mo” Williams had missed all three of his shots in the quarter, while his passes to teammates turned into unfinished opportunities.
In the second quarter, the senior point guard took matters into his own hands, hitting 3-pointers, penetrating for buckets and scoring 10 of his 17 points to help tie the game by halftime and spark West to a one-point victory.
“My coach sat me down in the first quarter with about two minutes left,” Williams said. “He told me ‘Keep shooting.’ That’s what I did, and I just got myself back in the game.”
“That’s why we call him ‘Takeover,’” Hornets coach Brandon Johnson said. “As you watch him play, he can go on stretches at any point of the game where he takes the game over defensively, offensively, either scoring himself or just getting other guys easy buckets. We need him to be a senior guard and lead us. He can take us as far as we want to go.”
Williams embraces the nickname, saying when he gets in “takeover” mode, “I always feel like I’m on a roll.”
The diminutive package of dynamite can explode at any time, and midway through the season he was putting up a nice stat line in helping Hamilton to an 8-3 start. Williams led the Hornets in scoring (15.2 points per game), assists (34) and steals (18). He was also chipping in with 3.3 rebounds per game.
“Defensively, when he’s focused a lot, he’s a great defender,” Johnson said. “Sometimes he gets a little lazy but when we need him, he always continues to make big plays for us.”
Williams does not let his 5-10 stature get in the way of trying to defend or score.
“It’s just height,” he said. “I’m a dog at the end of the day, I know how to get around them (offensively). Defensively, I try to get in front of them and just wait for my help to come.”
Mo’s talent on the court has never been in question, but Williams has had some other issues that have held him back in the past. Most notably, his attitude. It cost him several games due to discipline last year, and the talented receiver missed this year’s Thanksgiving football game for the same reason.
“He would lose his temper where he may not be respectful to officials, little things like that; which would make him lose his level to be an effective player on the floor,” Johnson said. “This summer we were at a crossroads, he was back to his bad habits.
“He just wanted to win so bad, he felt like his teammates didn’t want to match his energy. We had a sit-down, we talked, and he’s been pretty much on his good behavior this year. Not perfect, but pretty much good behavior.”
It’s a credit to Williams that he realizes he’s not perfect in that area yet, and he is willing to discuss it openly.
“Look, it’s a work in progress, it has been since the summer time with me,” he said. “I’ve got no problem talking about it. I’ve got to do what’s best for my team and I know if we want to go to that next level I gotta keep my anger and everything else in check.”
Mo chalks his issues up to immaturity, saying “You just gotta grow up and get it done.”
When he feels his temper start to rise, he resorts to having talks with Johnson, taking deep breaths, and regaining his focus.
“You have to soak everything in and just chill out,” Williams said.
It has not been easy missing games due to losing his chill, but Mo accepted it.
“I understand now,” Williams said. “Everything is in the moment. At first you don’t understand but once you take a step back, you realize everything.”
And although the player considers himself a work in progress, his coach feels that he has made strides.
“Last year in this environment, he doesn’t finish that game,” the coach said following the intense, emotional win at Trenton. “But now he’s able to control it and play harder. When he gets upset, he just plays harder. I gotta stay on him, we have a great relationship. I could say some things, I could push his buttons and he knows that I want what’s best for him.”
Williams confirmed his close relationship with Johnson, saying “I love him, he’s like my big brother.”
And big brother knows when to try and settle his guard down.
“When he sees me start to get a little rowdy he sits me down and let’s me know, he tells me ‘You gotta chill out, you’re gonna get a tech,’” Williams said. “So I keep that in mind. I wouldn’t say I’ve got it under control as of yet. But I know I have to do what’s best for my teammates. If I gotta shut up and just say ‘Yes coach,’ then that’s what I’ll do.”
Williams has been playing hoops all his life, starting out in Trenton before moving to the Hamilton YMCA League. From there he played AAU basketball and credits coach Ashley Russo for making a big difference.
“At first I just knew streetball but she started teaching me the game,” Williams said. “From there I just went on to high school and to where I am now.”
Mo made the Hornet varsity as a freshman, averaging 4.4 points in 17 games. His average jumped to 10.8 per game as a sophomore, and rose to 12.2 last year (while averaging 3.8 assists), although he missed three of the team’s final four games due to discipline.
“When we raised our expectations for the program, sometimes that pressure gets to a kid,” Johnson said. “Some people can handle it, some people can’t. You watch professionals, they gotta take breaks, you can imagine what our kids are going through.
“They’re buying in, they’re listening, but at times we’re gonna bump heads. They’ve gotta sit down, and they’re gonna learn and they’re gonna come back and be ready to go. He’s learned that this year for the most part.”
As luck would have it, Williams missed the Hornets opener this year due to Covid protocols, and he watched on videostream as West was upset by Nottingham. In fact, the Hornets started a season in which they have high hopes by losing two of their first three. Johnson missed a stretch of games due to Covid.
“Things weren’t really in place but now that we got BJ back we have everything in order,” Williams said.
The mercurial guard showed his capabilities in his first game this year, collecting 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals in a win over Princeton. He has scored in double figures in every game but one, with a two-point outing against West Windsor-Plainsboro North dragging his average down.
But he doesn’t worry about that, as his chief concern is setting up other players before finding his own points.
“I let the game come to me,” said Williams, who hopes to play for a junior college team next year. “Once I start playmaking for my teammates, I see how things open up for me. I can get my shot, but I feel like my main strength is my slashing and playmaking.”
He was at the top of his game with all of that through the first part of the season, and was enjoying how everything was playing out.
“I love basketball,” he said. “It’s the best time of my life right now. I play basketball and I feel like I’m in a zone. This is where I’m comfortable.”
And he’s working hard to make sure he remains in that comfort zone this year.
Maurice "Mo" Williams. (Photo by Rich Fisher.),
