The Ole Miss women’s basketball family continues to grow as head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin announced the addition of Jaida Williams as assistant coach on Wednesday.
“I am so excited to have Jaida joining our family. Jaida has incredible leadership experience and will make an immediate impact with our program,” said McPhee-McCuin. “In making this hire I looked for someone that can help with all aspects of the program. After many conversations Jaida proved to check all of the boxes.”
Williams arrives in Oxford with a plethora of coaching experience at the Division I level, including spending the last nine seasons at the helm of the Coastal Carolina program.
In her time with the Chanticleers, Williams led Coastal to a program record 25 victories in the 2019-20 season and was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Coach of the Year. Under her tutelage, DJ Williams was selected the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference, while Naheria Hamilton was tabbed as the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Chanticleers also reached its first postseason appearance in program history under Williams, after accepting an invitation to play in the 2019 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).
Prior to her time in Conway, Williams made stops as an assistant at Wake Forest, UC Santa Barbara and South Florida, as well as a stint as the director of operations at Iowa. In her lone season with the Demon Deacons, she built a top-20 recruiting class and helped her student-athletes to a 3.2-grade point average.
As a player, Williams was a standout for Cal Poly Pomona from 2002-05, assisting the Broncos to a 23-7 record as a senior and a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament Regional Final. Williams graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
“I am thankful that Coach Yo has allowed me to be a part of this historic program. What she’s proven to be able to do throughout her coaching career is nothing short of admirable,” said Williams. “I believe in what she’s doing, and I am excited to get to work and add value. Hotty Toddy!”
