Gary Williams

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For the wrestler with the same name, see Gary Williams (wrestler).
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Gary Williams
Title Head coach
College Maryland
Sport Basketball
Team record 397-215 (.649)
Born March 4, 1945 (1945-03-04) (age 63)
Place of birth Flag of the United States Collingswood, NJ
Career highlights
Overall 604-343 (.638)
Championships
NCAA Division I Tournament Championship (2002)
ACC Tournament Championship (2004)
ACC Regular Season Championship (1995, 2002)
Big East Regular Season Championship (1983)
ECC Regular Season Championship (1981)
Awards
ACC Coach of the Year (2002)
Playing career
1964–1968 Maryland
Position Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1969–1970
1970–1972
1972–1977
1977–1978
1978–1982
1982–1986
1986–1989
1989–present		 Woodrow Wilson HS (asst.)
Woodrow Wilson HS
Lafayette (asst.)
Boston College (asst.)
American
Boston College
Ohio State
Maryland

Gary B. Williams (born March 4, 1945 in Collingswood, New Jersey, United States) is the current head coach of the University of Maryland's Men's basketball team.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Williams played for Maryland as the starting point guard under coach Bud Millikan. He was a member of the 1966 Charlotte Invitational Tournament championship team and the 1965 Sugar Bowl Tournament championship team. He set a Maryland record for field goal percentage, going 8-for-8 from the field in an ACC game against South Carolina in 1966 (35 years later a Williams pupil, Lonny Baxter, would break that record, hitting all ten of his field goal attempts.) Williams was the Maryland team captain in 1967. He graduated in 1968 with a B.S. in Business.

[edit] Coaching career before Maryland

Prior to entering the college ranks, Williams was a successful high school basketball coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, New Jersey before becoming an assistant basketball coach at Lafayette College in 1972 and Boston College in 1973. In 1978, Williams obtained the head coaching position at American University. He would go on to lead American to relative success, coaching them to several NIT berths. In 1982, Williams returned to Boston College as the head coach, and led them to two NCAA tournament appearances, and one NIT appearance in his 4 year tenure. In 1986, Williams took the head coaching position at Ohio State. Williams would take Ohio State to one NCAA tournament appearance, and two NIT appearances.

[edit] Tenure at Maryland

Gary Williams on the court during the Maryland-Florida State game at the Comcast Center on February 16, 2008
Gary Williams on the court during the Maryland-Florida State game at the Comcast Center on February 16, 2008

Williams was announced as head coach of Maryland on June 13, 1989. The basketball program and the Maryland athletic program as a whole was still reeling from the aftershock of the 1986 death of Maryland basketball star Len Bias. Williams coached the 1989-90 squad to a respectable 18-13 record and an NIT berth. However, the following year saw the beginning of NCAA-imposed sanctions on the school for actions committed under previous coach Bob Wade. Maryland received a three-year postseason ban and a television ban, punishments that hampered the rebuilding process. With the help of highly regarded local standout Walt Williams, Maryland stayed competitive through a low-point of the program.

Williams coached the Terrapins to increasing success through out the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Williams led the Terrapins to the NCAA National Championship, defeating Indiana 64-52. He became the first coach to direct his alma mater to a national title since Norm Sloan accomplished the feat with North Carolina State in 1974.

As of March 2008, Coach Williams is the 8th winningest active coach in the country and the 3rd winningest coach all-time in the ACC. In his 30 years as a Head Coach, Williams has amassed an overall record of 604-343 (.638) and 397-215 (.649) at Maryland. Williams' Maryland teams have performed exceptionally well at Cole Field House and Comcast Center. Under his direction, the Terps are 240-55 (.852) at home including a 134-4 (.970) mark against non-conference foes. Between 1989 and 2003, Williams and Maryland won 87 consecutive non-conference home games. That streak was ended on December 14, 2002 by Billy Donovan's Florida Gators.

Coach Williams has an overall NCAA tournament record of 27-14 (.659, ninth among active coaches), 23-11 at his alma mater. Williams has coached Maryland to twelve NCAA tournament appearances, including a streak of eleven consecutive appearances (1994-2004), as well as four post season NIT appearances, allowing Maryland to own the longest current consecutive streak of postseason appearances in the ACC (Wake Forest, the previous record holder, failed to qualify for the postseason in 2006-07.) Additionally, Williams has sixty-five wins over top-25 ranked opponents, 14 wins over top-10 ranked opponents, two ACC regular season titles (one outright), an ACC tournament title, seven Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and a national championship. Williams also leads active coaches with seven wins over top-ranked teams, the most recent coming against North Carolina on January 19, 2008. Since 1995, Coach Williams and Maryland have averaged 22.5 wins per season. Williams has led the Terrapins to at least 20 wins in 10 of the last 13 seasons and ranks 7th among active coaches with 16 career 20-win seasons.

Despite Coach Williams' long track record of success, Maryland has struggled to reach the NCAA Tournament in recent years. Maryland has failed to make the NCAA tournament in 3 of the last 4 years and has led to criticism of the Coach and the program. Most notably, this criticism has spawned a website, [www.firegarywilliams.com].

[edit] Recent Milestones

A home victory over Virginia on January 19, 2005, moved Williams into a tie with former Virginia head coach Terry Holland as the fifth winningest coach in ACC history. On 21 January 2006, a home victory over Virginia Tech earned Williams his 142nd ACC win, moving him into a tie with former Carolina head coach Frank McGuire for third place in that category. Four nights later, a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets gave him third place outright.

On 7 February 2006, a 76-65 home victory over Virginia gave Williams his 349th win, allowing him to pass Lefty Driesell as the university's all-time winningest head coach. On 3 February 2007, a road victory over Wake Forest earned Williams his 150th ACC victory. He is the third coach in conference history to accomplish this feat; only Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski have won more conference games.

On 6 February 2008, a 70-65 road victory over Boston College gave Williams his 600th win. Gary Williams is one of only 8 active NCAA basketball head coaches with at least 600 wins.

Williams is one of the most highly respected coaches in the country for his ability to beat teams ranked #1 in the nation during the regular season.

[edit] Trademarks

Williams exclusively runs the flex offense, with a strong emphasis on first getting the ball inside to the post, and once the opposing defense collapses, distributing the ball to the perimeter. On defense, he favors a highly physical, pressing and trapping style, using turnovers to key the offense through the fast break. His defensive philosophy is inspired largely by the Jack Ramsay-coached St. Joseph's teams he watched while growing up in the Philadelphia area.

He has drawn a great deal of both criticism and humor for his on-court demeanor. He is also known for being incredibly animated towards his bench, especially when one of his on-court players has a miscue. There are followers of the program who affirm that these acts are merely a function of Williams' competitive drive, and on the whole, these acts belie Williams' gift as a teacher of the game. Juan Dixon, starting shooting guard on Maryland's national championship team, spoke highly of Williams in the introduction to the book Sweet Redemption, labeling him as a father-figure.

Williams has gained a reputation as a recruiter who almost exclusively goes after less-heralded players ("diamonds in the rough") and develops them into major Division I players. An opposing coach, Dave Odom, once said in a newspaper interview that Williams "has made a living off of the player who is maybe one or two tools short of the complete package (say, height or leaping ability), but who competes hard and plays with a chip on his shoulder." True enough, much of his success in the years since the university worked itself out of NCAA sanctions is due to players that fit that mold. Williams has vehemently defended his recruiting methods on numerous occasions; in a 2001 ESPN interview, Williams remarked, "Satisfaction in your job to me isn't just getting some list and saying, 'OK, that guy is rated top in the country. OK, we have to recruit him to be a good coaching staff'...Why not be a coach instead of a used car salesman."1

[edit] Coaching tree and NBA picks

Many of Williams' former assistants have gone on to earn head coaching positions. These include:

Rick Barnes - an assistant to Williams at Ohio State. Has had successful tenures at Providence and Clemson, and is currently the head coach of Texas, whom he guided to the Final Four in 2003.

Fran Fraschilla - was also on Williams' Ohio State staff. Had a successful run at Manhattan. He also was the head coach at St. Johns and New Mexico. He now serves as an ESPN college basketball analyst.

Fran Dunphy - served as an assistant to Williams at American. During a seventeen year tenure at Penn, he won 310 games (a school record) and 10 Ivy League titles. Successor to John Chaney at Temple.

Jimmy Patsos - served on Williams' staff at Maryland from 1991 to 2004. Now the head coach at Loyola.

Mike Lonergan - former national championship-winning head coach at The Catholic University of America who was on Williams' Maryland staff during the 2004-05 season. Successor to Tom Brennan at Vermont.

Dave Dickerson - served on Williams' staff at Maryland from 1996 to 2005. Now the head coach at Tulane University.

28 of Williams' players have been drafted by the NBA. This includes four lottery picks since 1992. Among the more prominent names:

† - recruited by Williams, but not coached by him.

In addition, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, who played for Williams in the late 1990s, was signed by the Indiana Pacers in the summer of 2005. More recently, Chris McCray, who was academically ineligible to play basketball the majority of his senior year at Maryland, was not picked in the NBA draft, but signed a free agent contract with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks in September 2006 and D. J. Strawberry, son of former major leaguer Darryl Strawberry was signed by the Phoenix Suns after being selected 59th in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft.

[edit] Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
American (East Coast Conference) (1978 — 1982)
1978–1979 American 14-13 7-4 4th
1979–1980 American 13-14 5-6 4th
1980–1981 American 24-6 11-0 1st NIT 1st Round
1981–1982 American 21-9 8-3 3rd NIT 1st Round
American: 72-42 31-13
Boston College (Big East Conference) (1982 — 1986)
1982–1983 Boston College 23-7 12-4 1st NCAA 2nd Round
1983–1984 Boston College 18-12 8-8 4th NIT 2nd Round
1984–1985 Boston College 20-11 7-9 6th NCAA Sweet 16
1985–1986 Boston College 13-15 4-12 7th
Boston College: 74-45 31-33
Ohio State (Big Ten Conference) (1986 — 1989)
1986–1987 Ohio State 20-13 9-9 6th NCAA 2nd Round
1987–1988 Ohio State 20-13 9-9 6th NIT Runner-Up
1988–1989 Ohio State 19-15 6-12 8th NIT Quarterfinals
Ohio State: 59-41 24-30
Maryland (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1989 — present)
1989–1990 Maryland 19-14 6-8 T-5th NIT 2nd Round
1990–1991 Maryland 16-12 5-9 T-7th
1991–1992 Maryland 14-15 5-11 8th
1992–1993 Maryland 12-16 2-14 8th
1993–1994 Maryland 18-12 8-8 T-4th NCAA Sweet 16
1994–1995 Maryland 26-8 12-4 T-1st NCAA Sweet 16
1995–1996 Maryland 17-13 8-8 T-4th NCAA 1st Round
1996–1997 Maryland 21-11 9-7 T-4th NCAA 1st Round
1997–1998 Maryland 21-11 10-6 3rd NCAA Sweet 16
1998–1999 Maryland 28-6 13-3 2nd NCAA Sweet 16
1999–2000 Maryland 25-10 11-5 2nd NCAA 2nd Round
2000–2001 Maryland 25-11 10-6 3rd NCAA Final Four
2001–2002 Maryland 32-4 15-1 1st NCAA Champions
2002–2003 Maryland 21-10 11-5 T-2nd NCAA Sweet 16
2003–2004 Maryland 20-12 7-9 T-6th NCAA 2nd Round
2004–2005 Maryland 19-13 7-9 T-6th NIT Semifinals
2005–2006 Maryland 19-13 8-8 6th NIT 1st Round
2006–2007 Maryland 25-9 10-6 T-3rd NCAA 2nd Round
2007–2008 Maryland 19-15 8-8 T-5th NIT 2nd Round
Maryland: 397-215 165-140
Total: 604-343

      National Champion         Conference Champion         Conference Tournament Champion


[edit] Other

Williams was married to Diane McMillen from 1968 to 1990. The union produced a daughter, Kristin, who works as a schoolteacher. Williams is a grandfather of three, including a pair of twins.

He is good friends with Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, going back to his days at Boston College. Along with Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, they play golf frequently.

Williams was one of thirteen college coaches to appear in EA Sports' NCAA March Madness 2004. As part of the "Coaches Council", he imparted information and guidance to the gamer.

He has been a member of the University of Maryland's Alumni Hall of Fame since June 2005.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Current Men's Basketball Head Coaches of the Atlantic Coast Conference
v • d • e
American Eagles Head Basketball Coaches

Springston • W. Young • Smith • Cassell • Kalijarvi • Boyd • Cassell • Schulze • Carrasco • J. Williams • Kyber • T. Young • Lynam • G. Williams • Tapscott • Knoche • Perry • Jones
v • d • e
Boston College Eagles Head Men's Basketball Coaches

Higgins • Crowley • McNally • Urban • Coady • McClellan • Martin • Power • Cousy • Daly • Zuffelato • Davis • Williams • O'Brien • Skinner
v • d • e
Ohio State Buckeyes Head Basketball Coaches

Huddleson • Kibler • Raymond • St. John • Trautman • Olsen • Dye • Stahl • Taylor • Miller • Williams • Ayers • O'Brien • Matta
v • d • e
Maryland Terrapins Head Basketball Coaches

Shipley • Stewart • Millikan • Fellows • Driesell • Wade • Williams
v • d • e
Maryland Terrapins Basketball 2001-2002 NCAA Champions
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