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Alabama State University said Wednesday that a national search would begin immediately to find a new men’s head basketball coach after it was announced that Coach Mo Williams has resigned after two years with the program and will be joining Jackson State instead. During Williams’ stint with the Hornets, ASU went 13-35 with a 12-24 record in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Mo Williams has to have more than 13 wins at JSU.
WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi reported that Jackson native Mo Williams is set to become the head coach of the Jackson State University men’s basketball program.
Williams played 14 seasons in the NBA and in 2016, he and one of the best basketball players of all time, LeBron James, won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams would retire the following year. In 2018, his coaching career began as an assistant under Mark Gottfried at Cal State Northridge.
The news comes amid reports that current JSU coach Wayne Brent is expected to retire at the end of the 2021-22 season, per Clarion Ledger. Williams joins former football royalty and GOAT, Coach Deion Sanders on the roster at Jackson State, where he’s led a winning program since 2020.
Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders, center, holds the Orange Blossom Classic trophy after winning an NCAA college football game over Florida A&M, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)
Jackson State gains even more talent
HBCUs are becoming more recognizable and offered platforms that were once only hoped for. Deion Sanders entering JSU and coaching even amid brutal medical setbacks undoubtedly motivated Mo Williams to enter the program. Williams states the attention garnered for HBCUs has been amazing to see activated in a tangible way.
When speaking about this year’s NBA All-Star Game, Williams told the Grio:
“Everything’s about exposure. Being that the All-Star Game is putting an emphasis on HBCUs, it gives us exposure, and it helps in a lot of different areas, a lot of different ways, a lot of different schools… And, you know, the exposure we’re getting this weekend from the NBA All-Star Game, it only can help.”
With an increasing amount of ex-pro’s entering HBCUs, the landscape of college athletics is changing for the better.
