Rutgers men’s basketball has officially hired Marlon Williamson to be the Scarlet Knights’ next assistant coach and finalized the 2023-24 coaching staff.
Williamson arrives on the banks after serving as an assistant coach for Central Michigan since May of 2021. Known as a top-notch recruiter with extensive ties in Detroit and the state of Michigan, throughout the Midwest, and East Coast, Williamson has 20 total years of coaching experience.
Prior to Central Michigan, Williamson spent four years as an assistant at Long Island University-Brooklyn (2017-21) under head coach Derek Kellogg and helped guide LIU to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 for the first time in 5 seasons. Prior to LIU, he spent two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh under head coach Jamie Dixon. That stint included an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015-16. Prior to Pittsburgh, Williamson served as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts under Kellogg from 2012-14, during which the Minutemen finished 45-21 and made back-to-back postseason appearances, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2014, the program’s first in 16 years.
In 2013-14, the Minutemen earned their first NCAA Tournament bid in 16 seasons, with a No. 6 seed, finished 24-9 overall and 10-6 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
“We are very excited to welcome Marlon to the Rutgers men’s basketball family,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “Marlon is an awesome family man and brings all the things that I love to our program. He’s a hard worker who’s worked at some great programs and made them better. He has a proven winning pedigree and has grinded his way to the NCAA Tournament with many of those programs.
Marlon has an excellent eye for talent and has really helped recruit with tremendous ties to the AAU scene,” Pikiell added. “We have added another great former college basketball player to our staff and a coach who can develop our players. Marlon is another high character individual that will fit right in with our program. Rutgers men’s basketball got better today with the hiring of Marlon Williamson.”
“I’m so blessed to receive this opportunity at Rutgers,” Williamson said. “I could tell right away that this is a special place, and I am so excited to work under the leadership of Coach Pikiell. I am looking forward to bringing my experience from the MAC Conference over to Rutgers to help them compete in the Big Ten. From the moment I came in for my interview, I just felt the love and passion from everyone on the staff. This isn’t a job for me. This is what I love to do. I can’t wait to get started.”
Williamson joins the 2023-24 Rutgers staff full of prominent college basketball players in Pikiell (UCONN), Knight (Pittsburgh), and T.J. Thompson (George Washington).
Prior to UMass, Williamson spent nine years working with The Family, a Detroit-based AAU program. He served as head coach and president of Youth Operations and oversaw scouting, scheduling, academic progress monitoring and counseling.
As a player, Williamson was a four-year letterwinner and point guard at Youngstown State from 1999-2003. He was named the Penguins’ most valuable player and earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Defensive Team while serving as team captain during his senior year. Over his four-year career with the Penguins, Williamson scored 379 points, dished out 199 assists, and converted 45 3-pointers in 99 career games. He also starred at Detroit’s Cass Tech High School. Williamson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in global studies from Youngstown State.
Along with the hiring of Marlon Williamson, Pikiell has elevated several staff members and confirmed that he has finalized his staff for the upcoming season.
“We have elevated several members of our staff,” Pikiell said. “Scott Scherer and Mike Sasso are now full-time. They are Rutgers people who have gotten their master’s degrees and undergraduate degrees right here at RU. Steve Hayn and Mike Larkin have now taken on added responsibilities. Steve brings a wealth of experience and Mike has been a godsend keeping me organized over the years. They can be in practice and do more work on the basketball court. Our staff is complete, and our players are blessed to be coach by this staff.”
2023-24 Rutgers Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell
Associate Head Coach: Brandin Knight
Assistant Coach: T.J. Thompson
Assistant Coach: Marlon Williamson
Chief of Staff: Steve Hayn
Director of Basketball Operations: Mike Larkin
Director of Basketball Administration: Scott Scherer
Video Coordinator: Mike Sasso
Graduate Assistant: Tyler Cook
