In four seasons as an assistant coach at Florida State, Corey Williams has helped the Seminoles earn a school-record tying three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, helped the Seminoles become the third winningest program in the ACC, helped coach the Seminoles to the first appearance in school history in the ACC Tournament Championship game and tutored five NBA Draft picks including two who were picked in the first round. His extensive recruiting roots, which he has developed throughout his 11-year coaching career, have allowed him to assist in bringing the current group of Seminoles to Tallahassee - a group that has Florida State poised to enjoy one of the best seasons in school history.
The Seminoles average nearly 23 victories per season with Williams on the bench as an assistant coach - the best four year average in school history. During that span of four years, the Seminoles have defeated 10 teams ranked in nation's top 25 -- including two teams ranked No. 1 -- have won the championships of the Global Sports Classic (2008) and the Old Spice Classic (2009) and been ranked in the nation's top 20 in the final poll in two of his four years.
A PLAYERS COACH
An NBA champion as a player, Williams helped Florida State to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and to a school record tying three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances after helping lead Oral Roberts to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as a coach and Oklahoma State to consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances as a player.
TEAM SUCCESS
Florida State has played in a school record three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and four postseason tournaments during Williams' four years at Florida State. The Seminoles advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 and played in the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history in 2009. The Seminoles have won at least 10 ACC games in three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history and have won 31 ACC games in the last three seasons - a school record for any three year period since joining the ACC. The Seminoles' winning percentage of nearly 70 percent in the last three seasons (.693, 70-31) is the best in any three-year period in school history and surpassed the Seminoles' winning mark of .686 during the 1991, 199 and 1993 seasons.
SUCCESS IN THE ACC
With Williams on its bench, Florida State is the third winningest program in the ACC in the last three years (since the start of the 2008-09 season) in total games played with 70 wins. The Seminoles average 23.3 wins per season with records of 25-10 (2008-09), 22-10 (2009-10) and 23-10 during the 2010-11 season. The Seminoles have won 70 percent of their games and 31 of their 48 ACC games since the start of the 2008-09 season. Florida State is one of only two teams in the ACC in the last three years to win at least 10 games and finish in the top four of the league standings. The top four teams in the league standings earns a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
FSU SUCCESS IN THE POSTSEASON
With victories over No. 5 ranked Notre Dame and No. 20 ranked Texas A&M in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, Williams helped the Seminoles advance to within one win of advancing to the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history. The Seminoles' wins over Notre Dame and Texas A&M marked only the second time in school history that Florida State had defeated ranked teams in consecutive games during the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Florida State's win over Notre Dame marked the Seminoles' first win over a top five ranked team since they defeated No. 2 ranked North Carolina to advance to the NCAA Tournament national championship game in 1972. The Seminoles win over Texas A&M in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament marked the first win over a ranked team in the NCAA Tournament since 1998.
RECRUITING SUCCESS
Nationally renowned as an outstanding recruiter, Williams' tireless work in attracting top flight players to Florida State has helped the Seminoles become one of the elite teams in all of college basketball. Each of Florida State's recruiting classes, since he hit the road for the Seminoles in 2008, have been ranked among the nation's top 25. His recruiting roots once again proved fruitful in 2011 as the Seminoles' class ranked within the nation's top 20 and includes three players ranked among the top 100 recruits nationally. Florida State's class ranked 16th nationally in 2010 and in 2009 he helped recruit McDonald's All-American Michael Snaer to Florida State. Williams helped assemble the Seminoles' 2008 recruiting class, which is considered to be one of the best in school history and are the cornerstones of the Seminoles' highly rated 2012 team. That season, Williams helped the Seminoles land one of the top groups that was ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation and No. 3 in the ACC. Florida State's 2008 recruiting class contained two top 75 players and two more who were rated in the top 15 in the nation at their positions.
GIANT KILLERS
With 10 wins over ranked teams in Williams' first four seasons as an assistant on Florida State's staff, the Seminoles are the third winningest team in ACC for victories over nationally ranked teams. Included in the Seminoles' wins are two wins over the nation's No. 1 ranked teams (North Carolina in 2009 and Duke in 2011), No. 5 Notre Dame (in the 2011 NCAA Tournament) and No. 10 Clemson (during the 2009 regular season). The win over No. 10 ranked Clemson on the road helped Florida State earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State was one of seven teams in the 2011 NCAA Tournament that earned wins over multiple ranked teams and with wins over No. 1 ranked Duke and No. 5 ranked Notre Dame in 2011, the Seminoles defeated multiple top five ranked teams for only the second time in school history.
FSU TEAM STATISTICAL IMPROVEMENT
Williams has helped Florida State become the nation's top defensive team and nationally renowned in multiple statistical categories. Williams' defensive background helped Florida State finish the 2010-11 season as the field goal percentage defense national statistical champion with a .363 mark - the second consecutive season they have led the nation in the most telling defensive statistic kept by the NCAA. The Seminoles are the first team to repeat as the field goal percentage national champions since Marquette in the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Florida State's .363 mark ranks as the fourth lowest mark by a leader in the category since the NCAA began compiling the statistic in 1977. It also marks the lowest field goal percentage defensive mark by an ACC team since 1960 - a span of 52 years - and was the seventh lowest mark in ACC history. The Seminoles became only the sixth team in NCAA history to repeat as the field goal percentage defensive national champions. In addition to ranking first nationally in the field goal percentage defense category, the Seminoles ranked first nationally in field goal percentage defense (.363), fifth in blocked shots (6.0 bpg), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.306), 24th in steals per game (8.3 spg) and 27th in rebound margin (+4.9 rpg) and were the only team in the nation to finish the season ranked in the top 30 in each of those five statistical categories during the 2010-11 season.
FSU TEAM IMPROVEMENT
In Williams' four seasons at Florida State, the Seminoles' win total has increased by an average of four wins per season. In the four years prior to his arrival, Florida State averaged 18.3 victories and won at least 20 games only twice. In the four years since his arrival, Florida State averages 22.3 wins and has won at least 22 games three times with a near school record 25 victories coming during the 2008-09 season. In addition, Florida State averages nearly 10 ACC wins per season in his four years at Florida State after averaging just over six conference wins the four seasons prior to his arrival. Florida State has more ACC regular season games with Williams on the staff (40) than they did in the seven years before his arrival (38). Statistically, the Seminoles have become one of the top teams in the nation since Williams' arrival as an assistant coach. In 2011, the Seminoles became only the sixth team in NCAA history to repeat as the field goal percentage defensive national champions. In addition to ranking first nationally in the field goal percentage defense category, the Seminoles ranked first nationally in field goal percentage defense (.363), fifth in blocked shots (6.0 bpg), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.306), 24th in steals per game (8.3 spg) and 27th in rebound margin (+4.9 rpg) and were the only team in the nation to finish the season ranked in the top 30 in each of those five statistical categories during the 2010-11 season. In 2010, Florida State ranked among the top-25 nationally in four separate categories.
A BACKCOURT WIZARD
A former teammate of Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, Williams has utilized his basketball knowledge and helped develop the Seminoles' backcourt during his four seasons in Tallahassee. Under Williams' tutelage, Florida State point guards have improved dramatically. Derwin Kitchen, who is now playing professionally in Israel, was the most improved guard in the ACC as a senior in 2011. Kitchen ranked fifth in the ACC in steals and sixth in the ACC in assists in 2011 while leading the Seminoles to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. On top of the point guard play, Williams helped McDonald's All-American Michael Snaer earn All-ACC freshman honors in 2010 and has helped him develop into one of the most well-rounded players in the ACC. He also worked closely with All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and All-ACC First Team selection Toney Douglas. Douglas graduated Florida State as one of the ACC's most decorated guards, leading the conference in steals in 2008, in scoring in 2009 and earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Douglas was the ACC Player of the Year runner-up in 2009. Douglas was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NBA First-Year Player Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and has enjoyed two standout seasons playing with the New York Knicks.
ORAL ROBERTS
Williams was an assistant coach for eight seasons at Oral Roberts where he helped lead the Golden Eagles to an average of 18 wins per season, including 20 or more wins in each of the last three seasons, and appearances in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Oral Roberts finished with a 23-11 record and won the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship in 2007. Among its 23 wins during the 2007 season was a victory over No. 3 Kansas on the road at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
ORAL ROBERTS RECRUITING
As Oral Roberts' chief recruiter during his tenure there, Williams is credited with assembling the recruiting classes that allowed the Golden Eagles to become one of the top teams in the nation. Among the players he is credited with recruiting are Caleb Green, a two-time All-American and the first three-time Player of the Year in the Mid-Continent Conference and 2006 Mid-Continent Tournament Most Valuable Player Ken Tutt. Williams helped attract a majority of the players that dotted the Golden Eagle's roster and the Mid-Continent All-League teams.
WILLIAMS AT OKLAHOMA STATE
Williams played collegiately at Oklahoma State from 1989-1992. He is the 15th all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,320 career points. Williams played two seasons under his future boss, Leonard Hamilton, at Oklahoma State and helped lead the Cowboys to consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances under Eddie Sutton in 1991 and 1992. The Cowboys were ranked 14th in the final Associated Press poll of the 1991 season and 10th in the final coaches' poll following the 1992 season.
WILLIAMS PLAY DURING CAREER
With Williams in Oklahoma State's line-up for 128 games during his four-year varsity career, the Cowboys ranked as one of the top teams statistically in the nation. The Cowboys ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense in 1992, 12th in the nation in average margin of victory in both 1991 and 1992 and 20th in the nation in winning percentage in 1992. He scored 1,320 career points and averaged 10.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in leading his team to winning records in his final two seasons.
OKLAHOMA STATE PLAY DURING CAREER
Oklahoma State went to four consecutive post-season tournaments (two NIT and two NCAA tournaments) and averaged 21.5 victories per season during his career. The Cowboys finished 24-8 and 10-4 in the Big 8 in 1991 and 28-8 and 8-6 in conference play in 1992. Oklahoma State was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation and defeated five nationally ranked teams during the 1992 season. They earned victories over No. 3 Missouri and No. 2 Kansas on their way to the Sweet 16 in 1992.
NFL DRAFT
Williams was drafted by both the Chicago Bulls of the NBA and the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chiefs despite the fact that he had not played football since junior high.
PLAYING CAREER
Williams chose basketball over football and spent two very productive years with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. While a member of the Bulls in 1993, Williams helped Chicago win its third straight NBA Championship. He also played with the Minnesota Timberwolves during his NBA career. Williams spent the majority of the 1994 season with the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the Continental Basketball Association. He returned to Oklahoma State as a student assistant in 1994 and was a member of the Cowboys' staff during their 1994 Final Four season. Williams played professionally overseas in Taiwan, from 1995-98.
PERSONAL
Williams, 41, earned his bachelor's degree in education from Oklahoma State in 1992. He and his wife Nicole have two children: Jourdan (12) and Corey, Jr. (8).
