COLLEGE STATION, TX — Fresh off of his third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Buzz Williams returns to Aggieland as the head men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University. The announcement was made by Athletic Director Scott Woodward.
Texas A&M will host a Welcome Event for Williams and his family, Thursday, April 4, 4 p.m. at Reed Arena. Texas A&M staff, faculty, students and Aggie basketball fans are invited to attend. A press conference will immediately follow the event.
“As we began our search, it quickly reaffirmed to us what we all know—the A&M brand is powerful, as the depth and breadth of the candidate pool was incredible,” said Woodward. “We kept our focus on finding an elite basketball coach, a developer of talent, a tremendous recruiter, a tireless worker and someone who fits Texas A&M. Buzz Williams is all that and more. I have no doubt that Buzz will take our basketball program further than ever before and will make Aggies everywhere proud. It is an exciting day as we welcome Buzz and his family back to Aggieland.”
During his head coaching career, Williams guided his teams to the Big Dance eight times in his twelve years as a head coach and recently advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in his career. Williams has recruited and coached more than 20 players who earned all-conference accolades, including two league Players of the Year, two conference Freshman of the Year and four Associated Press All-Americans.
“I am so humbled and honored to return home to Texas A&M, and proud to lead the Aggies,” Williams commented. “I’d like to thank Chancellor Sharp, President Young and Scott Woodward for this incredible opportunity. This is our home, and we are ready to join with the 12th Man to win championships, graduate our players and represent this world-class university with integrity.”
In his five years in Blacksburg, Virginia, Williams led the Virginia Tech Hokies to a program first with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, tallying four consecutive 20-win seasons and four consecutive 10-win seasons in Atlantic Coast Conference play. In 2018-19, Williams guided a nationally-ranked Tech team to a 26-9 record, finishing 12-6 in the ACC, both school records. The Hokies earned a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their highest seed ever, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history since the tournament expanded to its current format. Williams earned his 100th victory as head coach at Virginia Tech when the Hokies knocked off Liberty in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Williams returns to Aggieland where he was part of one of the nation’s top basketball program turnarounds, improving the Aggies’ win total in 2004-2005 by 14 games compared to 2003-2004. While serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M for two seasons under coach Billy Gillispie (2004-05 and 2005-06), the Aggies made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 25-years in 2005-06. He helped develop such Aggie greats as Acie Law IV and Antoine Wright. His recruiting classes at Texas A&M were ranked among the best in the nation and featured some of the top-ranked talent at the prep level.
The Van Alstyne, Texas native is married to the former Corey Norman and the couple have two daughters, Zera and Addyson, and two sons, Calvin and Mason.
