8 Dec 2023
Super League preview round 8: Rebels’ Jefferson on swapping slices for spikes
But a very persuasive coach and a series of injuries has gradually seen him turn his sporting attentions from one type of court to another, swapping tennis racquets for volleyballs.
As a youngster, the Essex Rebels middle blocker grew up in a tennis-mad family where everyone played to a good standard and, as he became engrossed in the game, his goal was to be the next Andy Murray.
For brother Henry, who played at Junior Wimbledon last year and is to start a four-year scholarship in America from January, that ambition is still very much alive.
For TJ, as he is now commonly known, though, it’s all about blocks and spikes rather than backhands and slices, after he took up Volleyball at secondary school.
Despite his enduring fondness for tennis – he is now a LTA Level 2 tennis coach, giving lessons where time permits – he has no regrets about making a team sport, rather than an individual one, his primary focus.
“I went to a school (Graveney) that has a history of producing volleyball players and the coach there, Carlos Johnson, came up to me and said ‘you’re tall for an 11-year-old, why don’t you come and give volleyball a try’,” said TJ.
“I did, and enjoyed it, so when I had a couple of bad injuries around the age of 13 or 14, I began to take it more seriously and I moved towards that and away from tennis and football, which I also played.
“I think it is the cameraderie, being part of a team that I most enjoy that you don’t get in an individual sport, where you’re working out how to get the better of your opponent on your own, rather than working as a team.
“In my first year I lived with three or four of the other players and a couple of other players the year after and you form a very tight bond, a brotherhood because you spend so much time together both on and off the court.
“Plus there’s the vocal nature and high energy from every point which I love... I think I’m just well suited to it.”
That’s not to say that TJ will not be keeping a close eye on his sibling, who won his first round Junior match at Junior Wimbledon, before losing in a match-deciding tie-breaker to the world number three.
The pair – and their parents – still play from time to time, though younger brother now often has the beating of the older brother!
TJ said: “Watching my brother walking out at Wimbledon last summer, as I had dreamed of doing, was amazing and we’re very produ of him.
“I think it was his performances that got him noticed in America and the scholarships (which he will undertake across four years) seem to be the best way to ‘make it as a top professional these days.
“I used to be the one that won when I played my brother, but it’s fair to see that he is the one that wins these days and the gap is only going to get bigger.
“He’s 6ft 8ins, which helps, and he has a real chance, having played for five years on a programme in Scotland.
“I still coach too, which is a great way of relaxing away from volleyball and also giving something back to the sport, I had some great coaching when I played, so it’s nice now to be able to help others.”
Having started playing Volleyball at school and then joined the junior set-up at EBC Greenhouse Volleyball (now the Malory Eagles Juniors), he moved through the ranks to become a senior player at the London club, while also being a part of the England Junior Player Pathway.
When he reached the age of going to university, he confesses it was a difficult choice, but is adamant it has proven to be the right one.
“I benefited from some great coaches at Malory, such as Jeff(erson Williams), Carol (Gordon) and others and I really enjoyed playing there and it was right on my doorstep, but then I wanted to study and play at the same time,” said TJ.
“I looked at the unis that had a good volleyball programme as well as good options for studying and I looked at Bournemouth and Sheffield Hallam, but when I looked at it, Essex was by far and away the best place for my development.
“I’m studying Sports Performance and Coaching and the university is very understanding and flexible around my academic work and exams, helping me to fit it in around when I am playing Super League and BUCS.
Jefferson is part of a 14-man squad which has been selected to represent the Senior England National Team in the Novotel Cup in Luxembourg from 27th to 29th December.
The 20-year-old is looking forward to taking on the hosts as well as Austria, plus an expected third country that is yet to be confirmed as the Three Lions look to build on a promising international year in 2023.
TJ said: “It’s almost a year now, in January, since I made my England debut in the last Novotel Cup and it was a great experience for both me personally and the team.
“We had convincing wins over Germany and Ireland before losing to Luxembourg but competing well and then going to play in Korea in the summer where we pushed things on again.
“We came across teams with different styles and cultures and we managed to post wins against teams from Japan, the US and Australia, so we are definitely showing progression and want to add to that in this upcoming tournament.
Jefferson, who hopes to go on to play Volleyball professionally, will be joined on England duty over the Festive period by a number of other current or former Essex players.
He believes it highlights that there has never been a better time to play Volleyball at the University of Essex, citing Head Coach Alex Porter as a big influence.
Named as Essex’s Super League captain for this season, TJ insists that playing alongside the Rebels’ American professional imports Kyle Vom Steeg and William Ragland, has helped him come into his own, playing in all seven league matches so far and making important contributions in terms of blocks and kills.
“People have said to me that Essex are all about bringing in the American players and that it means the English players don’t get court time, but I think there is a nice blend,” he said.
“I don’t think there has ever been a better time to play at the uni and I think there has been a golden era where lots of English players who have been on the Talent Pathway have come through at the same time.
“Alex has really helped bring me and others along and then supplemented it with some great American talent that we are all learning from. It’s priceless to have someone like Kyle, who has played at a lot higher level and been part of an NCAA title-winning squad (with UCLA), and get his insight.
“Alex has done a great job in knitting it all together. We are a team of 14 players, not the same seven players, and we have so many players who we can swap out.
“You can also see the togetherness that we have, which we have shown when things haven’t always gone well, like last week at Leeds when we were 2-0 down and losing in the third set, but turned it around to win 3-2, which we probably wouldn’t have done in previous years.
“It’s great to have been made captain this year and try to have a positive influence in the team as a figurehead but, alongside that, also being given the court time to show that I can be a force in terms of my contribution.”
Ahead of this weekend’s double header against former club Malory Eagles and the Durham Palatinates – the final round of action before the Christmas break – Essex sit second in the table with five wins from seven matches.
And while that leaves them with an uphill task if they are to catch unbeaten league leaders IBB Polonia, TJ believes it is not too late for them to be caught.
He said: “They are favourites at the moment, but we kno we can do it against them, as we showed last season when we beat them into the cup semi-finals and played as well as we have done while I have been here.
“They are looking very strong, but we have to play them twice in quick succession near the end of the season, so that could have a big say on where the title goes.
“This weekend will be hard for us because we have got two good sides to face in a row, but if we can get through these with wins then we will be in a good position going into the break.”
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