CINCINNATI — Xavier University men’s head basketball coach Chris Mack has added 14-year NBA veteran and 1993 Xavier University graduate Aaron Williams as a temporary assistant coach on his staff. Williams will assist Mack while assistant coach Kareem Richardson continues his recovery after recent surgery and a hospital stay. Richardson hopes to be back on the bench in late December.
“First and foremost, Kareem is well on his way to a full recovery,” said Mack. “Our basketball family has been praying for him every day in hopes that he will be re-joining the program in a few weeks. While Kareem is away, Aaron will be a valuable part of our program. He will be on the floor coaching every single day of practice and in games. His experience as a 14-year NBA player will be invaluable to each player in our program, particularly our posts. And it’s always great to catch up with one of your best friends from college too.”
Williams, a member of the Xavier 1,000 Point Club, scored 1,073 points at XU (tied for 42nd in XU history), grabbed 713 rebounds (16th on XU’s all-time list) and blocked 197 shots (second only to David West in XU history).
Williams, a First Team All-MCC selection, was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams and three Midwestern Collegiate Conference Championships during his four-year career. XU reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history in his freshman season of 1989-90 with Williams playing the role of one of the late-game heroes of that second round win over Georgetown. XU reached the second round in 1991 and 1993. For the final three seasons of Williams’ career he was a teammate of Chris Mack.
Following his graduation in 1993, Williams earned his way onto the Utah Jazz squad as a free agent for the 1993-94 season. He also played for Milwaukee, Denver, Vancouver, Seattle, Washington, New Jersey, Toronto, New Orleans and the L.A. Clippers before retiring following the 2007-08 season.
Leave a Reply