Rogers State University announced the hiring of its first women’s basketball coach on Tuesday pending approval by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.
Amy Williams will be charged with leading the Hillcats in their first season of competition this fall.
“I am honored to be named the first women’s basketball coach at RSU,” Williams said. “It is such a unique and exciting opportunity to build a program from the ground up and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
“I have known Amy for quite some time and I can personally attest to her reputation as a tireless worker, a knowledgeable coach and a quality person,” said Wren Baker, RSU athletic director and head men’s basketball coach. “As we looked at our needs for our first head women’s basketball coach, it was clear that Amy was the best candidate. I am pleased that we were able to hire her.”
Williams joins the Hillcats after successful coaching stints as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at The University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University. She previously worked as an assistant at the University of Texas-San Antonio and was a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
“The RSU athletic department has continued a trend of hiring individuals with great character and leadership skills with the addition of Amy Williams,” said Dr. Joe Wiley, RSU President. “We are pleased that our coaching staff is now in place and look forward to the tip-off of men’s and women’s basketball at RSU this fall.”
At Tulsa, Williams helped the Golden Hurricane claim its first Conference-USA regular season and tournament championships in 2006. The Hurricane also earned its first ever trip to the NCAA tournament and logged its first win in the field of 64, finishing the season with an impressive 26-6 record.
Before joining TU, Williams served as the top assistant at Oklahoma State from 2001-2005. She compiled a number of accolades as the recruiting coordinator at OSU, including being named the 11th ranked recruiting coordinator in the nation based on impact to program and signing the Big XII Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2003. Her 2003 recruiting class ranked 19th in the country according to All-Star Girls Basketball Report.
“Amy’s abilities as a recruiter will be a tremendous asset as she launches a first year program at RSU,” Baker said. “She is highly regarded both in Oklahoma and nationally for her recruiting prowess.”
A native of Spearfish, S.D., Williams was a four-year letter-winner at the University of Nebraska. She earned Academic All-Big XII Conference honors as a senior in 1997-98 and was named a Phillips 66 Student-Athlete of the Week in 1997. After graduating from Nebraska, Williams joined the University of Nebraska-Kearney staff as a graduate assistant. After obtaining a Master of Arts in Education from UNK, she accepted her first full-time coaching position as an assistant at the University of Texas-San Antonio.