James Madison women’s basketball head coach Sean O’Regan has announced the promotion of Kayla Cooper Williams to assistant women’s basketball coach.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to announce our next addition to our coaching staff,” expressed O’Regan. “Kayla has worked extremely hard in her different roles for us the past two years. With her experience of stepping in for Coach Prahalis this last spring, she’s well equipped for an assistant coaching role. Her being with this program for the last seven years, there is no one who knows the program better!”
Cooper Williams was a standout player for the Dukes from 2015-20. The Dumfries, Va. native was the 2016 CAA Rookie of the Year before being named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. The four-year starter set the single season block record for each class, holds the program record for career blocks (314) and is third all-time in rebounds with 1,095.
Cooper Williams joined the women’s basketball staff in 2020-21 as a graduate assistant. She then served as the Dukes’ Director of Player Development and Recruiting for the 2021-22 season before stepping into an interim assistant coach position after former assistant coach Samantha Prahalis-Holmes went on maternity leave.
“I’m so grateful and excited for this opportunity,” commented Cooper Williams. “This program and JMU has helped make me who I am and it’s a blessing to continue to be a part of a program that I love and believe in. I’m excited to learn and grow under Coach O and I look forward to continuing to build upon the tradition that women’s basketball has built here at JMU.”
Cooper Williams graduated from James Madison in May of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a sport communication minor. She then earned her master’s degree in sport and recreation leadership in May of 2021.
