Oklahoma State University Athletics
Jimmy Williams
October 11, 2006 | Cowboy Basketball
Williams returned to OSU from Louisiana-Lafayette, where he spent one season as an assistant coach for Jessie Evans. The Ragin' Cajuns were the Sun Belt regular-season and conference tournament champions.
Williams brings a wealth of experience to Oklahoma State, and is a well-respected coach, both on and off the basketball court. His expertise is in on-the-floor coaching, more specifically with big man development. Williams is also a specialist in zone defenses, and is an excellent recruiter.
Williams began his coaching career at his alma mater, Ashland University, as the head coach of the junior varsity squad. He accumulated a 12-3 record during the 1969-70 season.
He then moved to the University of Minnesota in 1971, where he coached the Golden Gophers for 15 seasons under both Bill Musselman and Jim Dutcher. Williams served as head coach of the freshman team during the 1971-72 and 72-73 seasons, compiling a 20-4 record.
While Williams was a member of the Minnesota coaching staff, the Golden Gophers won the Big Ten championship in both 1972 and again in 1982. They made the postseason in eight of the 15 seasons he was there, and finished first in the upper division nine times during his stint in the Twin Cities.
Williams was ranked as one of the top-15 best recruiters in the nation by Basketball Times magazine, and twice (1974 and 1980), his recruiting classes were ranked best in the nation.
After a two-year hiatus from coaching, Williams returned to the collegiate ranks as an assistant for J.D. Barnett and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in June of 1988. He spent two seasons with TU before moving on to San Diego State, where he was an assistant for three seasons with the Aztecs.
In July of 1992, Williams began his tenure at the University of Nebraska. He spent seven seasons under coach Danny Nee, including the last three as associate head coach. The Huskers gained seven consecutive posteason tournament berths while Williams was in Lincoln. The Huskers won the Big Eight Tournament in 1994, and were the NIT Champions in 1996.
In his one previous season with the Cowboy program, OSU finished with a 27-7 record, including a 12-4 mark in Big 12 Conference action. The Pokes advanced to the Elite Eight, falling to Florida in the regional finals. Oklahoma State was ranked sixth in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll that season.
Williams made the jump to the National Basketball Association following his short stint at OSU, assisting Coach Flip Saunders with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was with the T-Wolves from June of 2000 until September of 2002, when he joined the Golden State Warriors as an advanced scout. Williams did that for one season before returning to the collegiate ranks with ULL.
The recruiting class of 2000 that Williams was instrumental in bringing to Oklahoma State was ranked a consensus top-five class nationally. It included Maurice Baker, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2001 and a first-team All-Big 12 selection; Melvin Sanders, an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick; Terrence Crawford, the top high school player in the state of Oklahoma in 2000; and Ivan McFarlin, a three-time All-Big 12 selection.
In all, Williams has coached 36 players that went on to the National Basketball Association, including 15 first-round draft picks. He coached current NBA stars Tyronn Lue and Eric Piatkowski of the Houston Rockets and Desmond Mason of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Notables that Williams has coached during his career include Dave Winfield, Mychal Thompson and Kevin McHale.
Williams has been a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 1971, and joined the Black Coaches Association in 1985. He was also a member of the National Assistant Coaches committee from 1984-86.
A native of Havana, Fla., Williams graduated from Ashland University in 1970, where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in education. He was a college division All-American for the Eagles, and helped the school to the college division national championship in 1969.
Williams' daughter, Christina Marie Saxon, is now a senior at the University of Minnesota.
