Richard Wilson Jr. follows his dreams at Nationals Billiards 9-ball tournament

Pool tables are littered throughout the Northwoods in bars, bowling alleys and other establishments. For one Eagle River resident, his time spent playing pool growing up in his home, in Northwoods establishments and in different leagues and tournaments led to him playing at the Nationals Billiards 9-ball tournament in Texas last month.

Twenty-six-year-old Richard Wilson Jr. recently competed against some of the best billiards players in the country at the tournament and reflected on his time and experience there.

“It was a really well-put-together environment to shoot in. I felt really comfortable, even being in a new place with new faces around me,” said Wilson Jr. “The experience was fun, and well worth the trip. I got to play against some really good players and meet a lot of the idol players we all look up to. Going forward, I only have a vision for growth. I’ll be back in years to come, and I feel I’ll do better when that time comes. I felt like I competed and definitely made my presence known, and that to me was all one could hope for in their first pro event.”

After taking in all the sights and sounds of the venue, tournament play started Aug. 25. Wilson Jr. drew a 733-rated player in his first contest.

A slow start from Wilson Jr. didn’t last as the match went on, but he ended up dropping his first game, 5-9.

“That’s a pretty high rating for my first draw. I struggled the first half of the match, trying to get used to the table. I finally settled in and started battling back. Getting started too late and not finding my pace right away, I found myself losing a rough first match to a better player,” Wilson Jr. mentioned. “I felt like I shot well in the back half of the match, and went into the next day feeling confident about my game.”

His second match came on Aug. 26 against a 677-rated player. Wilson Jr. recalls getting out to a hot start and grabbing a commanding 4-0 lead early on his opponent.

“I started out really hot, not really missing anything and really locking him down when I couldn’t make a ball. I put a lot of pressure on him right away with a 4-0 lead,” he stated.

Wilson gained a 5-3 lead before ultimately losing the match 5-8 and being eliminated from the tournament.

“From there he played really well, making sure I didn’t really get a good look at the table again,” explained Wilson Jr.

Youth pool player

Playing in his first pro tournament didn’t happen overnight. Wilson Jr. got introduced to the game as a little kid growing up in Northern Illinois.

“As a kid, [my parents] introduced me to rolling the balls around on the table; it kept me calm and entertained. As I grew, able to see over the table, they started to teach me how to play, where to hit the ball and how to hold the cue. I grew up learning your typical gentleman’s game, straight in 8 ball, no slop,” said Wilson Jr. “Learning to call banks, carroms, kisses, combos, and kicks; even straight-in shots. I never really played with a rule set that had fouls, but I learned how to play a really straight, offensive game. I was very privileged; my parents had a table in the basement; and if I wasn’t out at the park with my friends, or doing homework, most times I was on the table playing. I learned a lot from both my parents”

As an early teen, Wilson Jr. and his family moved to Tennessee, where he did not have access to a table and did not play the game for a few years. That was until his family moved to Eagle River when Wilson Jr. was 17 and he got back into the game. He thanks his parents for everything they’ve done to allow him to continue playing the game he loves.

“We ended up getting a table again. I played as much as I could just because I loved the game that much. Both my parents have always done all they can to help me excel and grow at anything I chose to do,” stated Wilson Jr. “When I turned 21, I asked my dad if he’d shoot bar leagues with me. We built a team for our local league, and we played. I loved it; not only did I get to play a game I loved, I got to do it alongside my parents, people I love. It made it all the more enjoyable.”

Fast-forward a few months after that, and Wilson Jr. got a taste of tournament play at Sammy Jrs in Rhinelander as a 21-or 22-year-old. He also credits his success to the welcoming environment of the players from Sammy Jrs. He said he gained more experience and learned to play the game with a different set of rules. That really sparked his interest in playing more often.

“The tournament director, Mark, alongside many others from Sammy Jrs., helped me quickly learn how to play the game under a different set of rules. Some taught me offensive tricks, and others taught me defensive,” Wilson Jr. said. “Over time I started to excel and grow at a pretty rapid rate; becoming more and more consistent, I started shooting more often.”

Current status

Wilson Jr. is now a seasoned billiards player and has put hundreds of hours inside bars, pool halls and his home table to perfect his craft. He has a current rating of 548 with over 2,000 games recorded in the Fargo system.

“Over the last couple of years I’ve put in hundreds, maybe thousands of hours at bars, pool halls, and on my home table, getting as many games in as I could, and really working on the things that would help my game grow. I currently have 2000+ games entered in the Fargo system with a rating of 548,” Wilson said.

Another thing that has helped Wilson Jr. grow in the game is being able to go into situations that put him outside of his comfort zone. That is something he has leaned on over the last few years.

“Putting myself in uncomfortable situations, such as playing in higher-rated tournaments and “gambling some higher-rated players than myself, taught me really fast that growth follows uncomfortable situations. Once you begin to get comfortable, you kind of plateau. I decided this year that I wanted to take a leap of faith and see if I could play against some of the best in the world. I figured worst case is I learn a bunch, expose the gap in abilities between myself and them, and grow from it,” he stated.

The only way to grow in life is to learn from experiences. Wilson Jr. used that mantra and put himself in better and tougher situations in the billiards world to get where he is today.