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In his two years at Virginia Tech, Buzz Williams already has
ushered in an exciting new era of basketball. The head coach of
the men’s squad is beginning his third season here in Blacksburg,
and he has the Hokies poised to continue their growth as a program
in the toughest conference in college basketball. He and his staff
take a simplistic, yet very effective approach – “Get Better.”
Last season, the Hokies were the most improved team in the
Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA. Predicted, once again,
to reside near the bottom of the league standings, the Hokies
finished with a 20-15 overall record under Williams, including a
10-8 mark in the ACC. Tech advanced to the second round of the
2016 NIT, defeating Princeton at home in overtime before falling
at BYU two days later.
In his inaugural season at Virginia Tech, Williams led the Hokies
to an 11-22 overall record. He began building the culture that
would allow the Hokies to enjoy future successes. The team went
a long ways toward establishing an identity – one predicated on
hard work, accountability both on and off the court and playing
with a tough, competitive nature. Williams compiled a 31-37
record in his first two seasons in Blacksburg.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of any intercollegiate athletics program,
and Williams has led the Hokies to new highs in this area. And
while he has been able to attract elite recruits, he is less focused
on national perception and more on finding what he likes to call,
“OKGs”, or “our kind of guys.”
Williams came to Virginia Tech following six seasons as the head
coach of the Marquette Golden Eagles. At Marquette, he had a
record of 139-69 and led the team to five NCAA Tournament
appearances, including a trip to the regional finals in the 2012-
13 season – the same season that the team won the Big East
Conference regular-season title. Williams led the Golden
Eagles to a 69-39 Big East Conference record during his time
in Milwaukee. Six Marquette players made it to the NBA during
Williams’ tenure. In his nine seasons as a collegiate head coach,
Williams has an overall record of 184-123.
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