Gary Williams

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For the wrestler, see Gary Williams (wrestler)

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 1 Playing career 2 Coaching career before Maryland 3 Tenure at Maryland 4 Trademarks 5 Coaching tree and NBA picks 6 Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record 7 Other 8 External links

[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 1983, Williams returned to Boston College as the head coach, and lead 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

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 lead 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 2006, Williams has a record of 560-319 overall (.637), 353-191 (.649) at Maryland. He has an overall NCAA tournament record of 26-13 (.667, ninth among active coaches), 22-10 at his alma mater. Williams has coached Maryland to eleven NCAA tournament appearances, three postseason NIT appearances, nine seasons of twenty wins or more, sixty-two wins over 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 six wins over top-ranked teams, the most recent coming against Florida on December 10, 2003.

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 Georgia Tech 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.

[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 and his copious perspiration. Beyond the expected antagonism and invective towards referees and fans of rival schools, 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' recruiting style is often a point of contention within the Maryland fanbase. He has gained a reputation as one 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. However, there are those who feel that, with a national championship and state-of-the-art arena, his efforts would best be spent on higher-caliber players, with an emphasis on those that play within the Baltimore-Washington metro area, especially when rival schools such as North Carolina, Connecticut and Syracuse have landed elite players from that region. 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:

• Michael Adams (now an assistant on Williams' Maryland staff.)
• Dana Barros
• Jimmy Jackson (the fourth overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft)†
• Walt Williams (the seventh overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft)
• Joe Smith (the first overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft)
• Keith Booth
• Steve Francis (the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft)
• Chris Wilcox (the eighth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft)
• Juan Dixon
• Lonny Baxter
• Steve Blake

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

In addition, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, who played for Williams in the late 1990's, was signed by the Indiana Pacers in the summer of 2005.

[edit] Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record

Season	School	Record (conference) / Finish	Record (overall)	Postseason
1978-79	American	7-4 / 4th	14-13	--
1979-80	American	5-6 / 5th	13-14	--
1980-81	American	11-0 / 1st	24-6	NIT, First Round (0-1)
1981-82	American	8-3 / 3rd	21-9	NIT, First Round (0-1)
1982-83	Boston College	12-4 / 1st	23-7	NCAA, Second Round (1-1)
1983-84	Boston College	8-8 / 4th	18-12	NIT, Second Round (1-1)
1984-85	Boston College	7-9 / 6th	20-11	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
1985-86	Boston College	4-12 / 7th	13-15	--
1986-87	Ohio State	9-9 / 6th	20-13	NCAA, Second Round (1-1)
1987-88	Ohio State	9-9 / 6th	20-13	NIT, Runner-Up (4-1)
1988-89	Ohio State	6-12 / 8th	19-15	NIT, Third Round (2-1)
1989-90	Maryland	6-8 / T-5th	19-14	NIT, Second Round (1-1)
1990-91	Maryland	5-9 / T-7th	16-12	No postseason due to NCAA sanctions.
1991-92	Maryland	5-11 / 8th	14-15	--
1992-93	Maryland	2-14 / 8th	12-16	--
1993-94	Maryland	8-8 / T-4th	18-12	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
1994-95	Maryland	12-4 / T-1st	26-8	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
1995-96	Maryland	8-8 / T-4th	17-13	NCAA, First Round (0-1)
1996-97	Maryland	9-7 / T-4th	21-11	NCAA, First Round (0-1)
1997-98	Maryland	10-6 / 3rd	21-11	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
1998-99	Maryland	13-3 / 2nd	28-6	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
1999-00	Maryland	11-5 / 2nd	25-10	NCAA, Second Round (1-1)
2000-01	Maryland	10-6 / 3rd	25-11	NCAA, National Semifinal (4-1)
2001-02	Maryland	15-1 / 1st	32-4	NCAA, National Champions (6-0)
2002-03	Maryland	11-5 / T-2nd	21-10	NCAA, Regional Semifinal (2-1)
2003-04	Maryland	7-9 / T-6th	20-12	NCAA, Second Round (1-1)
2004-05	Maryland	7-9 / T-6th	19-13	NIT, Semifinals (3-1)
2005-06	Maryland	8-8 / 6th	19-13	NIT, First Round (0-1)

[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

• Official site

Preceded by: Tom Davis	Boston College Eagles Head Basketball Coach 1982–1986	Succeeded by: Jim O'Brien
Preceded by: Eldon Miller	Ohio State Buckeyes Men's Head Basketball Coach 1986–1989	Succeeded by: Randy Ayers
Preceded by: Bob Wade	Maryland Terrapins Men's Head Basketball Coach 1989–	Succeeded by: Current

Ohio State Buckeyes Head Basketball Coaches
Huddleson • Kibler • Raymond • St. John • Trautman • Olsen • Dye • Stahl • Taylor • Miller • Williams • Ayers • O'Brien • Matta

Maryland Terrapins Head Basketball Coaches
Shipley • Stewart • Millikan • Fellows • Driesell • Wade • Williams