Following-up on something that I mentioned in the DAILY DIRT on Monday. Furman assistant coach Jimmie Williams has been named as the new head coach at D2 Anderson University (SC). Here is the official release from AU:

Anderson University Vice President for Athletics, Dr. Bert Epting, Jr., has named former Furman University Assistant Coach Jimmie Williams as the Trojans’ newest head men’s basketball coach, as announced Wednesday morning.

“We are very excited to welcome Jimmie and his family to Anderson University,” said Epting. “He brings a wealth of knowledge from both the Division I and II level that will help us build and sustain success within AU basketball. He has consistently shown the ability to recruit at a high level and lead young men both on and off the court, all while integrating Christ into all he does. He and his family are going to be a tremendous part of the Anderson community and we are blessed to name him as the fifth head basketball coach at Anderson University.”

Williams helped lead Furman to 88 wins over the past four seasons, four consecutive appearances in the SoCon Tournament, a berth in the NIT and very nearly an appearance in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

“My family and I could not be more excited to be Trojans,” said Williams. “This is a dream come true for so many reasons! I would like to thank Dr. Evans Whitaker, Wayne Landrith and all the coaches and administrators I met through the process. And a huge thank you to the Vice-President of Athletics, Bert Epting, for believing in me. We can’t wait to meet everyone else in the AU community. It quickly became clear how special a place Anderson University is. We are so thankful God’s hand is in this and we can’t wait to get started! Go Trojans!!”

Williams becomes the fifth head coach in program history since the Trojans became a four-year institution in 1995, replacing Jeff Brookman, who resigned last month.

“Jimmie is a home run hire for Anderson University,” said Furman Head Coach Bob Richey. “He has impacted winning in unprecedented ways at multiple stops in his coaching journey. He will bring a strong, relationship based culture that will focus on a holistic development model of the student-athlete. His faith, energy, and passion for people will serve him well to get Anderson to the top of the league. He will build the program in a way that aligns with the institution and at the same time produces complete student-athletes that will make the community proud. We are very excited for what lies ahead for Jimmie,
Stephanie, their four children and Anderson University.”

He joined the Furman staff as an assistant coach in the fall of 2018 and his presence was felt immediately, as the Olathe, Kan., native, helped the Paladins to a school-record 25 wins, the school’s first ever national ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 (No. 23), and they were tabbed as high as No. 6 in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25. Furman capped the 2018-19 campaign with a berth in the National Invitation Tournament after notching victories over reigning national champion and 2019 Big East Champion Villanova and brought home a road win over 2018 NCAA Final Four participant Loyola Chicago.

After setting the school record for victories, as an encore in 2019-20, Williams helped the Paladins to a 25-7 overall record and 15-3 Southern Conference mark in 2019-20 as Furman equaled the school-record for victories for the second straight season. Jordan Lyons, a CollegeInsider Mid-Major All-American, earned First-Team All-SoCon honors while Clay Mounce and Noah Gurley received Third-Team all-league accolades.

The Paladins were ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 throughout the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, and wrapped up the season with a 16-9 overall record and finished 10-5 in the SoCon. Mounce garnered Third-Team All-SoCon honors and NABC All-District accolades, with teammates Gurley and Mike Bothwell being named Second-Team All-SoCon.

The Paladins posted the program’s seventh consecutive winning record and seventh straight top-three finish in the SoCon standings this past season, while wrapping up the season at 22-12 overall and 12-6 in the SoCon.

Williams mentored guard Alex Hunter, the program’s all-time leader in wins and 3-pointers, along with Bothwell and Jalen Slawson, who both reached the 1,000-career point plateau in 2021-22 while graduate transfer Conley Garrison eclipsed 2,000 career points.

Slawson was tabbed the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and garnered consensus first team All-SoCon honors. Bothwell joined Slawson as a first team All-SoCon pick by the coaches while receiving second team accolades from the media. Furman saw three players be named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team in Bothwell, Slawson and Garrison.

Prior to returning to the Upstate, Williams spent the previous three seasons as an assistant at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., serving as an associate head coach in his final year. After joining a program that had not had a winning season since 2010, Williams helped the Cardinals to a 20-9 overall and 10-win season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference during the 2017-18 campaign.

The 20-win campaign and No. 20 national ranking marked the first for the Cardinals since moving to NCAA Division II.

Before joining the William Jewell staff, Williams worked for four years as an assistant to head coach Chad Lister at North Greenville. He helped guide the Crusaders to their first Conference Carolinas title and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2015 after NGU posted a school-record 22 wins.

Williams began his coaching career in 2006 as an assistant at MidAmerica Nazarene and later served as head coach at Stoutland High School (2008-09). He spent time as an assistant at Texas Wesleyan University and Southwestern University before joining the North Greenville program.

As a player, Williams was a two-time all-conference selection at MidAmerica Nazarene and led his squad to a school-record 117 wins and four tournament appearances over his four-year career. During his high school career, he guided Olathe East to the Kansas 6A state title in 1998.

Williams completed his Master of Business Administration at North Greenville in 2014 after earning his undergraduate degree from MidAmerica Nazarene in 2002. He is married to the former Stephanie Rickey and the couple have four children – Christopher, Sloane, Stella and Jimmie V.

Note: Coach Williams will be introduced to Trojan Fans at a press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (Furman)
• Most wins in school history (25) 2019-20
• Most wins in school history (25) 2018-19
• First Team in Furman history to be ranked in the Associated Press Top-25
• Mentored two All-SoCon players last season (Jordan Lyons and Clay Mounce)
• Primary recruiter for Conley Garrison, All-SoCon Tournament Team (2021-2022)
• Primary recruiter on First-Team All-State honoree and Mr. Basketball finalist, Joe Anderson.
• Promoted to Recruiting Coordinator
• Appointed Admission Liaison
• Appointed Academic Liaison

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (William Jewell)
• Most wins in school history (NCAA DII) (20)
• Promoted to Associate Head Coach
• One of three coaches appointed to the President’s task force for athletic affiliation
• Offense led the GLVC in scoring (91 pts/gm)
• 1st undefeated nonconference record (10-0)
• Highest team GPA in 10 years (3.34)
• Signed back to back William Jewell Athletes of the Year (Pharroh Gordan and Keith Hayes)
• 1st team in the Top-25 national poll (20th)
• 1st team to beat an NCAA D-I school (Missouri-Kansas City)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (North Greenville)
• Most wins in school history (22)
• Signed seven All-Conference players
• 1st Conference Carolinas Championship
• 1st team in school history to make an appearance in the NCAA DII Tournament in any sport