Bob Chavez | June 3rd, 2021 10:00am | Reprinted from insidelacrosse.com
There is plenty to say about Zed Williams these days and by and large, he hears it. All the talk about his elite level of play and how he’s one of the best lacrosse players in the world.
He also sees the way people look. The adoring eyes of young players, the menacing glare of peers trying to defend him and the often-dejected stature of those who cannot.
But that’s not the way Williams sees or even thinks of himself. Sure, he’s confident in his lacrosse abilities and he knows he can run with the best. But the primary goal is, and always will be, to make his family proud.
And if being the best lacrosse player in the world is a byproduct of that mission, then so be it.
Because in his mind, at home is where it all started.
“My brothers and I were always playing sports,” he said of his youth in Irving, N.Y. with five brothers and two sisters. “I usually came out of there crying because they didn’t take it light on me but I’m so appreciative of that.
“We had a lot of fights, but that made me tougher, and I was never afraid to put my body on the line because I wasn’t afraid.”
With all due respect to coaches and trainers who may run the most regimented practices on the planet, there is plenty of credit to give to backyard lacrosse when the topic is athletic development. And considering where Williams is today on the short list of elite talent, the lessons of informal lacrosse played no small part.
But the drive and the ethic that powered Williams in last summer’s Premier Lacrosse League championship game as MVP with the Whipsnakes comes from more than lacrosse. It’s rooted deeply in a sense of family that may not have been in the lap of luxury in Irving, but it most certainly was focused on having the proverbial back of each other.
“My dad was big on manual labor. We had property so we had to take care of it,” he said. “We didn’t have a riding mower until I was in high school, so we used a push mower to cut all that grass and I think about that. I complained about him making me do all those things, but that’s what he instilled in me. No matter what, get the job done.”
So whether it was his late father Dan pushing the labor button or siblings like older brother Zack showing the importance of grades in school, Zed Williams knows about work. And he knows there are no shortcuts.
Beyond the blood relatives, the setting of a small district like Silver Creek schools helped forge bonds and playing football, basketball and lacrosse is what drew Williams to his coaches.
Specifically, Rob Genco, who taught elementary physical education for Williams and coached him at various levels of high school sports.
“At such a small school, certain kids would cling to me and wherever I was, Zed wanted to be there,” Genco said of the young Williams. “As a mentor to a lot of kids, you never know what’s going to stick but I always emphasized being a good human being.”
Apparently, that message did stick with Williams and a 2013 Buffalo News article offers an example from his senior year of high school.
An opposing basketball coach told the story of seeing Williams come off the basketball bus to prepare for a game and as he walked into the gym, he stopped to pick up a crushed can on the sidewalk to throw it away.
“He’d see me do it at (lacrosse) games, even road games and he asked me why are you cleaning up other people’s garbage?” said Genco. “And I told him it’s the right thing to do. He got it, because the next thing I know he’s picking up garbage, even at away games. It’s always about being a good person.”
Eight years later, the lessons from Genco continue to resonate.
“That dude, when he’d put his arm around me to talk, he always had the best interest for me and my brother (Zack),” said Williams. “His affect on my life … he was really compassionate, and I always listened to him. He always told me to think for myself.”
Dom Starsia was the coach who recruited Williams to Virginia, and he knew he had something different in this midfielder who was so shy off the field, he would rarely even look up.
“Everything is rooted in family for him,” said Starsia. “He gets his moral authority from his family and he sees what he’s done in his life as a public statement for the Williams family.”
So tight is that family bond that Starsia sometimes wondered if Williams would come back to campus following breaks. And his habit of showing up at the last minute for meetings or practices didn’t do much to ease Starsia’s worries.
But as usual, Williams came through.
Even off the field, when the academic rigors of college called for assistance in the classroom, Williams embraced the challenge.
“He was determined to make it work,” said Starsia. “He was going to take care of business and it wasn’t for a lack of effort. There was just so much ground to cover … but he turned the corner. You could see the determination.”
And yet again, it’s the work ethic instilled by his family that pushed Williams on campus.
“I never doubted I could do college but at the same time, everything was so new to me,” said Williams. “I was away from home in a new atmosphere … I didn’t know how it was going to work out but I knew I was not going to quit.”
Starsia understands that as the first Williams to graduate college, the UVA impact is big. But the retired coach is as quick as a split dodge to change direction because his relationship with Williams went beyond the game.
“When you show your vulnerabilities, that’s when relationships flourish,” he says. “When I visited him at his house, we went for a walk and he opened right up about things. He was somebody I could talk to … He brings it all together with honesty, sincerity and vulnerability and he’s willing to share it with you.”
Maybe that’s why Starsia said that as much as he and the UVA experience had a positive impact on Williams, the reverse is true.
“I was at High Point a couple of years ago to visit with the team there,” said Starsia. “And one of the kids asked me what was the highlight of my coaching life. The victories are the obvious answer but being at Zed Williams’s graduation was as big a moment in my career as anything else.”
And when Williams made sure to include Starsia’s twin daughters on the invitation list for his recent wedding, it didn’t prove much beyond what Starsia already knew.
“This kid is a special person,” he said. “His influence on my life and my family … it’s been a joy to get to know him better and see how he is with his family and the loyalty there.”
Jim Stagnitta had an idea of the player the Whipsnakes were getting in Williams. The coach watched him play at Virginia and saw his work with the Boston Cannons.
The continued improvement he witnessed in Williams is a big reason he was excited to welcome him to the PLL’s Whipsnakes, but an emphasis on chemistry and culture is what helped Williams reach the level he did last summer.
“Just having the opportunity to play on a team and in a system that allows him to play to his strengths and be creative was key,” said Stagnitta. “It allowed him to do specific things, to go out and play with other guys who not only complement what he’s doing but he can complement what they do too.”
The physical tools are there, said Stagnitta, and he has no doubt that part of Williams will continue its trajectory. That’s why the intangible part of the equation, finding comfort in his role, became so important. Even more, Williams accepts it and responds.
“It’s come with age and it’s come with experience,” said Stagnitta. “He’s one of those guys where if he’s comfortable with you, you can push him and he will respond. He puts lessons into action and he’s still trying to figure things out that were part of him when he was younger … and put them into perspective so he can develop and evolve.”
So many know Zed Williams the lacrosse player, and Williams gets that. And for as much as he loves the game, he was taught to respect it and be mindful of what it’s done for him.
That lesson also came from his family and it’s why he’s so insistent on giving back.
Whether it’s as a volunteer assistant coach at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, home in Irving with young children looking up to him, working as a mentor at Silver Creek or with fans after a professional game, Williams says he always has time.
“I just try to make people feel comfortable,” said Williams. “I see lacrosse kids and I go up to them and have a conversation. I remember being a kid and I was shy. I didn’t know how to create a conversation so now I just go up to kids and start talking with them, asking them about their sticks and gear.”
None of this surprises Genco.
“The winning was a bonus with Zed,” he says. “But it never would have happened had the relationship not been so special. I told him the Creator blessed him with ability … but with that gift comes responsibility.”
Like Genco said before, Williams gets it. He understands the balance that comes with being a superstar on the field and an even brighter leader off of it.
“I’m just another dude,” says Williams. “I play the game to win championships, I want to be the best and I want to make my family proud and happy but at the end of the day, that’s over. That’s last year. What am I going to do to be better?”
Quite frankly, a better Zed Williams scares Genco. He doesn’t come right out to say he predicted the greatness the world saw in Williams last summer, but again, he wasn’t surprised.
Not when Williams mentioned before the PLL season that Whipsnakes teammate Matt Rambo helped welcome him to the clubhouse and told him he had the green light.
“I said look out,” recalls Genco. “I pretty much knew what was coming. This is what we’ve all been waiting for.”
And with a workout routine that’s added about 20 pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame, 2021 has the potential for even more. But no matter how good he is at lacrosse, the goal for Williams is to be even better at life.
“I preach the same thing,” he says of his work with young players. “Be a good person. Be kind. No matter what the situation, I preach the same thing. That’s what’s most important.”
So;urce: https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/zed-williams-success-rooted-in-family/58043
