Mike Woodson will step down as IU basketball coach after the 2024-25 season. Athletic director Scott Dolson is at the moment trying to find this system’s thirty first head coach.
Contained in the Corridor will study lots of the candidates being mentioned for the job over the approaching days and weeks. Our fifth profile takes a take a look at Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams.
Beforehand: Dusty Could, Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Greg McDermott
Texas native Buzz Williams didn’t play faculty basketball however has constructed a prolonged teaching profession with a relentless power and fervour for the sport.
The 52-year-old started his profession as a pupil assistant at Navarro Junior Faculty (1990-92) and Oklahoma Metropolis College (1992-94). From 1994 by means of 2006, Williams labored his method by means of the teaching ranks, holding assistant jobs at Texas-Arlington, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Northwestern State, Colorado State and Texas A&M earlier than touchdown his first head teaching alternative at New Orleans within the 2006-07 season.
Williams spent one season at New Orleans, compiling a 14-17 file within the Solar Belt Convention earlier than departing for an assistant teaching job at Marquette beneath Tom Crean.
When Crean left Marquette for Indiana within the spring of 2008, Williams remained in Milwaukee and in a shock transfer, was named this system’s head coach. He inherited a proficient roster that included Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wes Matthews.
Success adopted in his first season at Marquette because the Golden Eagles earned a No. 6 seed and reached the spherical of 32 within the 2009 NCAA event. Marquette reached the Huge Dance in 5 consecutive seasons beneath Williams from 2009 by means of 2013, together with a pair of Candy Sixteens and a visit to the Elite Eight in 2013.
However Williams was on the transfer after an underwhelming 2013-14 season through which Marquette completed simply 17-15. He accepted the Virginia Tech job. The Hokies have been coming off a 9-22 season beneath James Johnson and it was a big rebuilding job in Blacksburg.
After a tough 11-22 marketing campaign in 2014-15 and a NIT bid in 2015-16, Williams reached the NCAA event in three straight seasons at Virginia Tech from 2017 by means of 2019. Within the 2018-2019 season, the Hokies received 26 video games and made the Candy Sixteen after incomes a No. 4 seed.
Williams returned residence to his Texas roots within the spring of 2019, accepting the Texas A&M job after this system moved on from Billy Kennedy.
The Aggies’ trajectory has been upward beneath Williams. Texas A&M is having fun with its greatest season but beneath his management this winter, with a 20-8 mark by means of and a top-20 rating in KenPom. The Aggies reached the NCAA event in 2023 and 2024 and superior to the second spherical final season.
From a method of play perspective, Williams’s groups are usually extra deliberate and deal with limiting possessions. In line with KenPom.com, all of his Texas A&M groups have ranked outdoors of the highest 200 in adjusted tempo. He additionally doesn’t make the most of the 3-point shot fairly often. 5 of his six groups in Faculty Station have ranked outdoors of the highest 340 in 3-point quantity.
As a substitute, Williams focuses on pounding the glass on each ends and attending to the foul line. Texas A&M at the moment ranks first within the nation in offensive rebounding share and completed first final season. The Aggies have additionally ranked within the prime 50 in free throw fee (FTA/FGA) in 5 of his six seasons at A&M.
Two weeks in the past, ESPN.com wrote that Buzz’s contract buyout is “believed to be low” and his present contract runs by means of the 2027-28 after an extension in the summertime of 2023. Provided that Williams has switched high-major jobs twice earlier than, it wouldn’t be shocking if he had main curiosity within the place if the Hoosiers come calling.
Class: Teaching search
Filed to: Buzz Williams
