Former Vol Williams Joins Carson-Newman Basketball Coaching Staff
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — First-year Carson-Newman men's basketball coach Chuck Benson announced the addition of former University of Tennessee point guard Shane Williams to his coaching staff on Thursday.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — First-year Carson-Newman men's basketball coach Chuck Benson announced the addition of former University of Tennessee point guard Shane Williams to his coaching staff on Thursday.
Williams, who played at Tennessee from 1994-96, joins Benson and returning assistant Josh Ealy to make up the Eagles coaching staff for the 2010-11 season.
"We are really excited to have Shane join our staff," Benson said. "He's an outstanding teacher and coach. Shane has won everywhere he's been and he's bringing that x-factor with him."
Benson and Williams are no strangers to each other. In high school, Williams played four years for the Tennessee Travelers, an AAU program that Benson was instrumental in starting.
Benson also recruited Williams to Tennessee in 1993 when he was a part of Kevin O'Neill's staff and was an assistant with the Vols during Williams' playing career.
Williams later coached on Benson's staff at Martin Methodist from 2000-01 and helped the RedHawks receive their first NAIA National Tournament berth that season.
Prior to joining the Eagles staff, Williams spent the last four seasons as an assistant at King College in Bristol, Tenn. During his time in Bristol, Williams helped lead the Tornado to a 97-33 record and four national tournament appearances (three NAIA, one NCCAA). Last season, King went 24-6 and advanced to the NCCAA national title game, where it fell to Northwestern, 58-54.
Williams has also been on a staff at the NCAA Division I level as he was a graduate assistant under Kevin O'Neill at Tennessee from 1997-98.
Williams' coaching experience extends further than just the collegiate level. During the 2005-06 season, he was the head eighth grade coach at Science Hill and led the Hilltoppers to an undefeated record.
From 2004-05, he was an assistant coach at Heritage High School in Maryville, Tenn., where he helped turn around the Mountaineers program. Heritage, which won just four games the season before Williams joined the staff, compiled 17 wins and earned a region tournament berth in his first year.
Williams, a native of Johnson City, Tenn., is a 1992 graduate of Science Hill High School. He guided the Hilltoppers to the 1990 TSSAA state title and a runner-up finish in 1991. He was a three-time all-state selection, the Upper East Tennessee Player of the Year during his junior and senior seasons and was Science Hill's all-time leading scorer when he graduated.
Upon graduation from Science Hill, Williams went on to play two seasons at Northeast Oklahoma A&M College, where he was a two-year starter. He led Northeast Oklahoma to a No. 1 ranking, was a two-time all-conference selection and led the team in assists both seasons.
Williams then transferred to Tennessee prior to the 1994-95 season. He started at point guard for the Vols for the next two seasons and won the Southeastern Conference Ironman Award for playing the most minutes in the league. His single season mark of 38.3 minutes per game and career average of 37.7 minutes per game are still Tennessee records. During his senior campaign, Williams guided the Vols to a National Invitational Tournament appearance.
Williams resides in Jefferson City.
