Jaida Williams was named the sixth head women’s basketball coach in Coastal Carolina University history on April 11, 2013.
Williams comes to Conway after serving on head coach Jennifer Hoover’s staff at Wake Forest. She spent the 2012-13 season as the Demon Deacons’ assistant coach and recruiting coordinator where she built a top-20 recruiting class. In addition to her duties as recruiting coordinator, Williams also served as the team’s offensive coordinator, helping the 2012-13 Demon Deacons average 67.6 points per game in the historically tough Atlantic Coast Conference.
In addition to her on-court duties at Wake Forest, Williams also helped the Demon Deacon student-athletes to a 3.2 grade point average while also serving as the program’s alumni relations representative.
Prior to her time in Winston-Salem, Williams spent time with Ganon Baker Basketball, where she traveled the country working with WNBA players as a skills development coordinator.
Williams has previously served on the staffs at Iowa, South Florida and UC Santa Barbara. Williams was at UCSB for three seasons from 2008-11. In two out of the three seasons with the Gauchos, she played an instrumental role in helping UCSB win the Big West regular-season and tournament titles. UCSB made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and received a berth into the WNIT in 2011. Her recruiting classes were named the tops in the Big West in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. She also helped in the development of Mekia Valentine, who was drafted by the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2009.
Williams joined the Gaucho staff after two successful seasons as an assistant at the University of South Florida from 2006-08, where she assisted with recruiting, game preparation and player development. During her stint at USF, she successfully recruited a top 16 class and made a pair of WNIT appearances.
Before joining the staff at South Florida, Williams served as the director of operations at the University of Iowa for the 2005-06 season.
Williams is an active member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
As a player, Williams was a standout for Cal Poly Pomona from 2002-05, helping the Broncos to a 23-7 record her senior season. Graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Williams helped lead Cal Poly Pomona to a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament Regional Final before losing to Seattle Pacific.
Williams played her first two collegiate seasons at Barry University under current USF coach Jose Fernandez, where she helped the Buccaneers to a 21-9 record as a freshman, earning Sunshine State Conference’s All-Freshmen team honors. In her sophomore season at Barry, Williams led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game earning recognition on the All-SSC First Team and as a Kodak All-American honorable mention.
