UAB men’s basketball head coach Andy Kennedy announced the hiring of former UAB player Rob Williams as the Blazers’ new assistant coach on Tuesday. Williams spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Denver.
“Excited to have Rob back with Blazer Basketball!” Head Coach Andy Kennedy said, “Rob is a former Blazer basketball player who worked with us in our first season. The experience he garnered in his two seasons as an assistant coach at Denver puts him in a great position to bring real value to our staff. He completely understands the values and standards of this program.”
During his time in the Mile High City, Williams oversaw steady growth for the Pioneers. Denver’s seven conference wins in 2021-22 matched its total from the previous three seasons combined. In 2022-23, Williams and Denver matched the program’s highest win total since the 2016-17 season.
Denver averaged 72.7 points per game during the 2022-23 season, the program’s highest scoring total since the 2017-18 season.
Prior to his time with the Pioneers, Williams spent five seasons on staff at UAB. After serving as a Graduate Manager for two seasons from 2015-17, he was promoted to Director of Player Relations and served in that role from 2017-21.
Williams played in 123 games and made 81 starts during his four years as a Blazer from 2010-2014. He helped UAB win the Conference USA regular season title during the 2010-11 season and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. During his senior season in Birmingham, Williams averaged 8.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
“It’s an honor to come back home to my alma mater at UAB. No better feeling!” Williams said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside AK and this great staff. Since day one AK has always been great to my family and me. I’ve always admired AK as a player and coach! The winning tradition at UAB has always been a standard, which is very appealing to me. Ready to get to work & help win championships!”
