Character Revealed.
Those two words have served as the foundation of the Marquette University men's basketball team under third-year head coach Buzz Williams ever since he was officially named program mentor on April 8, 2008.
The 2009-10 Golden Eagles were a perfect illustration of Williams' core system of values, working hard on a daily basis to ensure the team's accomplishments on the court and in the classroom would bring a sense of pride to all of the University's supporters.
The team's character was tested from start to finish, beginning with low preseason expectations from the national pundits and concluding with a heartbreaking postseason loss. No team in the nation played in more one-possession games than MU, but that didn't stop the squad from collecting the program's fifth-straight NCAA Championship appearance and 20-win season. Marquette finished 22-12 overall, including an 11-7 mark in the BIG EAST Conference, which was good enough for fifth-place in the 16-team league.
Lazar Hayward (Second Team All-BIG EAST) finished second all-time in scoring at MU and four of the program's top-10 all-time scorers have now graduated within the past two seasons. Junior forward Jimmy Butler was one of the most improved players in the country and as a result was tabbed honorable mention all-league.
Williams directed MU to a 25-10 overall record in 2008-09, which included a school-record 12 BIG EAST victories. The Golden Eagles advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship and were ranked among the nation's top-25 teams the entire campaign. A pair of players, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews, claimed all-league accolades and McNeal also claimed All-America honors.
Off the court, Williams and his staff assembled a consensus top-25 recruiting class in each of the last two years, including a group rated as high as No. 1 in the country by HoopScoopOnline.com (2008-09). The program's community service efforts have also reached new heights under Williams, highlighted by "Buzz's Bunch." This group, founded by Williams, focuses on providing opportunities for special needs children to attend games and summer camps. The Golden Eagles have also continued and strengthened their long-standing relationships with Children's Hospital as well as Special Olympics.
In 2007-08, Williams served as an assistant coach with the Golden Eagles in his first season at Marquette. MU concluded the year 25-10 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
His coaching career has included stints as an assistant, associate head and head coach. He has over 15 years of experience at the NCAA Division I level. Williams has recruited and coached over 20 players who have earned all-conference accolades, including one league player of the year, two conference freshmen of the year and two Associated Press All-Americans (McNeal and Hayward).
Williams arrived in Milwaukee after serving for one season as the head coach at the University of New Orleans. He guided the Privateers to a 14-win campaign in 2006-07 and his roster featured Bo McCalebb, the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. UNO claimed fourth place in the Sun Belt's Western Division and advanced to the league tournament quarterfinals. The squad claimed as many victories on the road that season as it had in the previous three seasons combined. His recruiting class for the 2007-08 season was ranked in the top 50 nationally by HoopScoopOnline.com.
Prior to UNO, Williams served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M for two seasons (2004-05/2005-06) under head coach Billy Gillispie. Both of his recruiting classes with the Aggies were ranked among the best in the nation and featured some of the top-ranked talent at the prep level. The squad made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 25 years in 2005-06 and the previous team posted the top turnaround in the nation, improving its win total in 2004-05 by 14 games compared to 2003-04.
Williams spent four seasons (2000-01/2003-04) at Colorado State, serving as an assistant the first three seasons before being promoted to associate head coach in 2003-04. Two of his recruiting classes were ranked among the 40-best in the nation, including the 2003 group, which was tabbed No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference.
Colorado State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years during his tenure and he was named one of the top assistants in the country by HoopScoopOnline.com. Williams was previously an assistant at Northwestern State (1999-2000), Texas A&M- Kingsville (1998-99) and Texas-Arlington (1994-98).
Williams signed the highest-rated recruiting class in the history of the Southland Conference while at Northwestern State. The Demons advanced to their first ever NCAA Tournament the following season and two of his recruited players were named all-conference, while one was tabbed Southland Conference Tournament MVP.
His accomplishments at Texas A&M-Kingsville include signing the 1998-99 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year and a third team All-America guard. At Texas-Arlington, Williams recruited a Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and signed the first Academic All-American in the school's history. Williams was a student assistant coach from 1992-94 at Oklahoma City University where he assisted the team to the 1994 NAIA championship after it advanced to the Sweet 16 the previous season.
Williams served as a student assistant from 1990-92 at Navarro College (Corsicana, Texas) where the team won consecutive conference titles while sporting a 45-17 record during his tenure. He began his career under mentor Lewis Orr, who was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2009 after a 37-year career at the junior college level.
The Van Alstyne, Texas, native earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Oklahoma City University in 1994 before completing his master's work in the same field at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1999.
Williams is married to the former Corey Norman and the couple has two daughters, Zera (8) and Addyson (1), and two sons, Calvin (7) and Mason (4).
