Jackson State University, (JSU) announced at the top of this month that their head basketball coach, Mo Williams will continue to coach the university’s basketball team after signing an extension to his contract. Williams is a former NBA champion, who helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in 2016. Williams played in the league for 13 years. This announcement was made on November 1st by JSU President Dr. Marcus Thompson and Vice President/Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson.
Mo Williams coaching. Credit: JSU
In a quote reflecting on his extension, Williams said, “I am blessed, definitely blessed and humble. This is home for me, I believe in this program, I believe in this university, and it’s heartwarming to feel the same from the university. I want to thank the President, Dr. Thompson, our AD and everyone that was involved in making this decision.”
Williams is a native of Jackson and is not shy of giving back his talents to HBCUs. Before coming to JSU, he was the head basketball coach for Alabama State University. Coaching their shortened season during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). There he grew a strong bond with players and “built a reputation for developing young talent and creating a strong team culture”. Extending his contract with JSU, there is hope that with his professional experience and love for the students, the team will continue to move in a progressive direction. He has been named “transformational” due to his connection with the Jackson community and his expertise.
Since his arrival at JSU in 2022, Williams has improved the program annually with a slight increase in-game winnings. Moving from a record of 14-19 in the 2022-2023 season, and a record of 15-17 in his 2023-2024 season. There is hope that this statistic will continue to increase as the basketball season approaches. JSU will face the University of Houston for their season opener on November 4th.
Mo Williams mid-game. Credit: JSU
As a “transformational” coach, there is hope that Williams can lead this team to a conference victory. JSU has not been a regular season championship winner since the 2009-2010 season making them ineligible to move to the NCAA tournament rounds. Last year, Grambling State University took home the regular season championship title in the SWAC division with a record of 21-15 overall.
With being a former NBA champion, fans are trusting Williams will lead his team to success, especially choosing to stick with the HBCU. It has also been shown that retired athletes who decide to coach on a collegiate level can also bring notoriety and positive attention to the university. When Deion Sanders, Super Bowl Champion, and Pro-Bowler, also known as “Coach Prime” began coaching the football team at Jackson State in 2021. He broke barriers and brought viewers from across the nation to watch. In April 2022, Jackson State became the first HBCU to have its spring football game televised live nationally on ESPNU because of Sander’s ability to draw such attention and his constant advocacy for HBCUs. He is also credited with leading the football team to a winning record in 2022 for the first time since 2007. When retired professional athletes give their talents and abilities back to HBCUs, they not only improve scores, and team records but also inspire more potential students to come to an HBCU to pursue their athletic dreams. This increases admissions and retention rates. There are many positive impacts that coaches like Sanders and Willams bring to the table when they choose an HBCU.
Mo Williams during his career in the NBA. Credit: NBA
It is predicted that Mo Williams will continue to make Jackson State shine throughout this year’s basketball season in hopes that this year may be the start of something record-breaking.
