Former Georgia State basketball standout and assistant coach Travis Williams will return to his alma mater as an assistant coach as announced by head coach Ron Hunter on Wednesday.
Williams, a native of Tifton, Ga., scored more than 1,000 career points at Georgia State. He graduated in 1995 before earning a Master’s in Sports Administration at GSU in 1999 and then becoming a member of legendary coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell’s staff.
Williams served as assistant coach at Georgia State from 1999-2003. During his tenure with the Panthers, the program produced three conference regular season championships and one conference tournament championship. While at GSU, the Panthers defeated two Top-25 teams (No. 15 St. Josephs and No. 23 Georgia) and produced an upset over No. 6-seed Wisconsin in the 2001 NCAA Tournament marking the first 20-win season in school history, finishing 29-5.
In 2001-02, the Panthers had another 20-win season and advanced to the championship game, bowing out by a single point in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament before receiving a bid to the NIT.
“We are extremely excited to bring Travis home,” Hunter said. “He truly bleeds Panther blue and is going to be a valuable addition to my staff and our program. He is well connected in the Atlanta area and throughout the southeast. We look forward to getting him started as our players return in just over a week.”
“My family and I are extremely thankful, humbled, and blessed to be given this great opportunity by Coach Hunter, one of the most passionate and successful coaches in the country,” Williams said. “I am looking forward to hitting the ground running and help to build on our Georgia State men’s basketball program’s continued winning tradition.
“I believe in Coach Hunter’s vision, style of coaching, and passion for GSU Basketball. He has a loving and caring relationship with our student-athletes on and off the basketball court.
“As a former student-athlete and assistant men’s basketball coach at my alma mater Georgia State, it’s such an honor to come back home. Georgia State is a very special place for me both personally and professionally and has provided some great moments during my academic, playing, and coaching career. I’m excited about building great relationships with our current and future players and assisting with their academic and player development. This is a dream come true opportunity and a great day to be back in the Panther Family.”
Williams has served as the head boys basketball coach at Maynard H. Jackson High School in Atlanta for the past two seasons. Since 2015 he has also been the President and CEO of Academics & Athletics Consulting providing valuable academic, athletic and recruitment expertise to middle, AAU, high school, prep school, and junior college student-athletes.
Prior to that Williams was the head men’s basketball coach at Tennessee State in Nashville, Tenn., for two seasons. During his first season at the helm of the Tigers, Williams led his team to an 18-15 record and berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. He also coached Patrick Miller, Kellen Thornton, and Robert Covington to all-conference teams. Covington later earned an NBA contract with the Houston Rockets under Williams’ tutelage.
Williams got his start at Tennessee State as an assistant coach from 2009-2012. Williams helped restore a winning attitude to the Tigers’ program including a 20-win season that was the most for any TSU program since 1978-79.
The 2011-12 campaign gave Tennessee State its third NCAA Division-I postseason appearance with an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
As the first assistant, Williams was involved with every aspect of the program. His major priority was the recruitment and development of student-athletes, both academically and athletically. Williams helped with practice, game day strategies, assignments and scouting reports. He also maintained day-to-day operations. Williams worked with student-athletes individually, while scheduling practice and workout sessions. He coordinated all community service initiatives and served as the team’s academic liaison.
When he joined the Tigers in the summer of 2009, Williams brought 10 years of coaching experience as an assistant and head coach.
Prior to Tennessee State, Williams served as head coach of the Dongguan Parklane Snow Wolf Professional Basketball Club in China’s National Basketball League (NBL). Williams was hired by the Dongguan Snow Wolf to develop the game of basketball in China directly after the 2008 Olympics. He facilitated player development, conditioning and game day strategies.
In 2004, Williams received his first head coach position at Fort Valley State in Georgia. He led the Wildcats to a pair of winning seasons during his tenure. Williams led FVSU to an 18-12 record during the 2006-07 campaign. At the conclusion of the season, the Wildcats ranked 10th in the Division II South Region poll, making it to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship game. FVSU’s 18 wins were the most since the 1998-99 season.
After a three-season stint at FVSU, Williams served as an assistant for one season at Mercer (2007-08). That season, Mercer defeated No. 17 ranked University of Southern California.
Williams’ coaching resume includes stops as an associate head coach with the Southern Crescent Lightning of the World Basketball Association (2004) and an assistant position at Chicago State (2003-2004).s
Williams played in 105 games as a student-athlete at Georgia State scoring 1,017 points and shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. He made 68 starts in four seasons, including every game of his junior year when he averaged a career-high 12.4 points per game.
His 340 career free throws made ranks No. 4 in school history. He still shares the school record for the most free throws attempted in a game when he took 22 against FIU in January 1993, knocking down 17 of them which is the second-most made in a game in program history.
Georgia State will return to the court for summer instruction in early June to start preparations for the 2018-19 season. The Panthers are looking to win 20 or more games for the fifth time in six seasons during the upcoming campaign.
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