Purcell Adds Joi Williams to Staff as Assistant A.D. for Women’s Basketball
April 05, 2022 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball head coach Sam Purcell made another addition to his staff on Tuesday, announcing the hiring of Joi Williams as the Assistant Athletic Director for Women's Basketball.
"Joi Williams is a huge addition to my staff," head coach Sam Purcell said. "Joi checks every box that I am looking for when it comes to putting together the best staff in the country. She has experience as a head coach at the highest level and has spent time in the WNBA and with USA Basketball. She is a big addition to our program and someone that will be in the office daily in a non-coaching role. For our student-athletes, she will be a major resource because of the experience she brings, but most importantly, Joi is a winner, she is a great person, and she will positively impact our program every day."
Williams, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., comes to Starkville after spending the previous four seasons as the Director of Quality Control at Clemson. Williams has over 20 years of overall coaching experience, including 13 years as a Division I head coach while also spending time in the WNBA with the San Antonio Stars, now the Las Vegas Aces.
"I am very excited and grateful to join Sam Purcell's staff," Williams said. "Mississippi State is a recognizable and respected brand across the country, especially in women's basketball. I am really looking forward to returning to the Southeastern Conference and I can't wait to get to work and continue building that brand and help Mississippi State reach new heights."
Prior to her stint in the WNBA, Williams spent nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Central Florida, where she finished as the winningest head coach in program history with 114 wins. She guided the Knights to a pair of conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Williams also has experience with USA Basketball, where she served a four-year term with the USA Junior National Team Committee. While working with USA Basketball, Williams assisted in selecting coaches and athletes for USA Basketball's college-aged competitions. She served as an assistant coach in the summer of 2010 for the U-18 USA National Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship. In 2011 she coached the U-19 USA squad at the World Championships in Chile, earning a second-consecutive gold medal when the US defeated Spain.
Before Williams took the head job at UCF, she was the head coach at Murray State from 2003-07. While leading the Racers, Williams was tasked with rebuilding the program, and she did just that. In her fourth season at Murray State, Williams led her team to a 21-10 overall record and a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. That season, Williams took Murry State to the WNIT, which was just the second postseason appearance in program history. That year her Racers led the nation in free throw percentage, field goal percentage and scoring offense.
Before serving as the recruiting coordinator at Clemson during the 2002-03 season, Williams was an assistant coach at the University of Florida for 12 seasons from 1990 through 2002. During her tenure with the Gators, Florida participated in nine NCAA Tournaments and tallied a 247-121 overall record. Williams recruited five All-America selections and nine WNBA Draft picks, including DeLisha Milton-Jones, the 1997 SEC Player of the Year, and a 2000 and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Williams played college basketball at the University of South Florida from 1984-88, where she was a four-year starter and still ranks among the USF career leaders in assists. She earned her bachelor's degree in Marketing in 1988.
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK.
– HailState.com –
"Joi Williams is a huge addition to my staff," head coach Sam Purcell said. "Joi checks every box that I am looking for when it comes to putting together the best staff in the country. She has experience as a head coach at the highest level and has spent time in the WNBA and with USA Basketball. She is a big addition to our program and someone that will be in the office daily in a non-coaching role. For our student-athletes, she will be a major resource because of the experience she brings, but most importantly, Joi is a winner, she is a great person, and she will positively impact our program every day."
Williams, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., comes to Starkville after spending the previous four seasons as the Director of Quality Control at Clemson. Williams has over 20 years of overall coaching experience, including 13 years as a Division I head coach while also spending time in the WNBA with the San Antonio Stars, now the Las Vegas Aces.
"I am very excited and grateful to join Sam Purcell's staff," Williams said. "Mississippi State is a recognizable and respected brand across the country, especially in women's basketball. I am really looking forward to returning to the Southeastern Conference and I can't wait to get to work and continue building that brand and help Mississippi State reach new heights."
Prior to her stint in the WNBA, Williams spent nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Central Florida, where she finished as the winningest head coach in program history with 114 wins. She guided the Knights to a pair of conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Williams also has experience with USA Basketball, where she served a four-year term with the USA Junior National Team Committee. While working with USA Basketball, Williams assisted in selecting coaches and athletes for USA Basketball's college-aged competitions. She served as an assistant coach in the summer of 2010 for the U-18 USA National Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship. In 2011 she coached the U-19 USA squad at the World Championships in Chile, earning a second-consecutive gold medal when the US defeated Spain.
Before Williams took the head job at UCF, she was the head coach at Murray State from 2003-07. While leading the Racers, Williams was tasked with rebuilding the program, and she did just that. In her fourth season at Murray State, Williams led her team to a 21-10 overall record and a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. That season, Williams took Murry State to the WNIT, which was just the second postseason appearance in program history. That year her Racers led the nation in free throw percentage, field goal percentage and scoring offense.
Before serving as the recruiting coordinator at Clemson during the 2002-03 season, Williams was an assistant coach at the University of Florida for 12 seasons from 1990 through 2002. During her tenure with the Gators, Florida participated in nine NCAA Tournaments and tallied a 247-121 overall record. Williams recruited five All-America selections and nine WNBA Draft picks, including DeLisha Milton-Jones, the 1997 SEC Player of the Year, and a 2000 and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Williams played college basketball at the University of South Florida from 1984-88, where she was a four-year starter and still ranks among the USF career leaders in assists. She earned her bachelor's degree in Marketing in 1988.
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK.
– HailState.com –
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