Southern Miss head men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner has continued to upgrade the program as he enters his second season, this time announcing the hiring of former Final Four head coach Richard Williams as a special assistant.
“To be able to add someone of Coach Williams’ stature to our staff is exciting to say the least,” Ladner said. “He had incredible success at Mississippi State. He strengthens an already strong staff of assistants. I feel we have the right staff in place to help us achieve our goals and vision.”
Williams served as the Mississippi State head coach from 1986-98, which included the Final Four appearance in 1996 after capturing the SEC Tournament title. He was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 1991 (when the Bulldogs also won the SEC regular-season crown) and 1995. One of his most notable players, also from that Final Four squad, was NBA veteran Erick Dampier (1996-2012).
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help Coach Ladner and his staff,” Williams said. “I’ve known Jay a long time, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way he coaches basketball, the kind of person he is, and how he cares about his players. With his vision for the program, and what he can do here, Jay is the guy who can bring this to a new level. I’m here because I know he can do that.”
Williams, a graduate of Mississippi State and Pearl High School, most recently served in operations roles at UAB and Louisiana Tech (2008-09) before becoming an assistant at Arkansas State from 2010-14. He has also been an analyst for the Mississippi State basketball radio team. While in Starkville, Williams employed current WKU head coach Rick Stansbury and also served as an assistant alongside former Golden Eagle head coach Larry Eustachy.
Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Richard Williams Joins Men’s Basketball Staff
