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| TSU HEAD COACH TRAVIS WILLIAMS |
Williams, a native of Tifton, Georgia, served as an assistant for previous TSU head coach John Cooper during the last three seasons. Cooper left on April 6 after accepting the head coaching position at Miami University (Ohio).
Williams helped restore a winning attitude to the Tigers' program. The Big Blue recorded just nine wins in 2009-10, while improving to 14 victories in 2010-11. Last season, the Tigers completed a 20-13 mark - the most for any TSU program since 1978-79. It also marked the school's first winning season in 16 years.
The 2011-12 campaign gave Tennessee State its third NCAA Division-I postseason appearance with an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Tigers fell to eventual CIT Champion Mercer, 68-60, in the first round.
As the first assistant, Williams was involved with every aspect of the program. His major priority was the recruitment and development of student-athletes, both academically and athletically. Williams helped with practice, game day strategies, assignments and scouting reports. He also maintained day-to-day operations. Williams worked with student-athletes individually, while scheduling practice and workout sessions. He coordinated all community service initiatives and served as the team's academic liaison.
"We are very pleased to have retained Travis Williams as our next head men's basketball coach," said Phillips. "Coach Williams is committed and has been a successful Division I student-athlete. He has coached on a variety of levels, so he brings a plethora of experience to this job. He understands the importance of relationship building and will continue to make TSU basketball a significant entity in the Nashville area."
"I am truly humbled and grateful for this opportunity to serve as the 16th head coach at TSU," said Williams. "It's with great honor and pride to serve Tennessee State University and the Nashville community. I will strive to represent TSU in a first class manner at all times by working hard and expecting my student-athletes to do the same. Our goal is to ensure our student-athletes graduate, while maintaining their competitive intensity and desire to win the OVC Championship."
When he joined the Tigers in the summer of 2009, Williams brought 10 years of coaching experience as an assistant and head coach.
This marks Williams' third time taking the reins of a basketball program. Williams served as head coach of the Dongguan Parklane Snow Wolf Professional Basketball Club in China's National Basketball League (NBL). He led the team to an 11-2 preseason record before leaving prior to the 2009 regular season. Williams was hired by the Dongguan Snow Wolf to develop the game of basketball in China directly after the 2008 Olympics. He facilitated player development, conditioning and game day strategies.
In 2004, Williams received his first head coach appointment at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. He led the Wildcats to a pair of winning seasons during his tenure. Williams led FVSU to an 18-12 record during the 2006-07 campaign. At the conclusion of the season, the Wildcats ranked 10th in the Division II South Region poll, making it to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship game. FVSU's 18 wins were the most since the 1998-99 season.
After a three-season stint at FVSU, Williams served as an assistant for one season at Mercer University (2007-08). That season, Mercer defeated No.17 ranked University of Southern California.
Williams' coaching resume includes stops as an associate head coach with the Southern Crescent Lightning of the World Basketball Association (2004) and an assistant position at Chicago State (2003-2004).
From 1999-2003 he served as assistant at his alma mater Georgia State. During his tenure with the Panthers, the program produced three conference regular season championships and one conference tournament championship. While at GSU, the Panthers defeated two Top-25 teams (No.15 St. Josephs and No.23 Georgia) and produced an upset over No. 6 seed Wisconsin in the 2001 NCAA Tournament marking the first 20-win season in school history, finishing 29-5.
In 2001-02, the Panthers had another 20-win season and advanced to the final game, bowing out by a single point in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship game, receiving a bid to the NIT Tournament.
Williams hosted "In the Loop", an all-access cable sports show covering all levels of athletics throughout central Georgia. He has also served as a motivational speaker and educational consultant with his "If You Believe, You Can Achieve" Power Hour series.
Williams is currently a member of National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Black Coaches and Administrators Association (BCAA). As a player, he scored more than 1,000 career points at GSU. He graduated with a Bachelor's in business management in 1995 and a Master's in Sports Administration in 1999. While in college at GSU, Williams interned with the National Football League (NFL) Players Association as a research intern.
He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville. Williams is married to Nikkya Williams. The two celebrated the birth of their daughter Teagan Loure' Ann on Nov. 3, 2011.
TSU PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTO GALLERY
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Tennessee State promotes Travis Williams to men's basketball head coach
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Travis Williams’ goal to be a Division I college basketball head coach by the time he was 40 was still in peril last week.
The developments over the last eight days, however, helped the 39 year-old get there on Friday.
And Williams has Tennessee State’s players to thank. They persuaded Athletics Director Teresa Phillips to promote him after John Cooper accepted the head coaching job at Miami (Ohio) on April 6.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this way, in this short amount of time,” said Williams, a Tigers assistant for three seasons. Phillips called the players and assistant coaches in for a meeting in the Tigers locker room on Tuesday.
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