Indiana Coach Search: Buzz Williams Is Well-Traveled But A Consistent Winner
In the long, slow process that is the Indiana men’s basketball coaching search, the Southeastern Conference has been a target-rich environment as far as both fan and media speculation.
Many fans champion Ole Miss’ Chris Beard. Others have their eye on Auburn’s Bruce Pearl.
At various stages of the hunt, Florida’s Todd Golden, Mississippi State’s Chris Jans, Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Oklahoma’s Porter Moser and Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington have been mentioned as possible Indiana coaching choices.
Another SEC option who has been mentioned is Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams. Fresh off a 83-72 over Pearl’s No. 1-ranked Auburn on Tuesday, Williams has won at a variety of schools in his 18-season head coaching career.
What Makes Williams An Attractive Choice
From the time Williams coached Marquette to a 25-10 season in the 2009 season, he’s consistently won at everywhere he’s been.. A reminder – Williams was an assistant under Tom Crean at Marquette before he replaced him as head coach when Crean came to Indiana.
Williams coached Marquette to five NCAA Tournament bids in six seasons, only failing to win at least 22 games once. In 2014, he made the rather quixotic move to take over at Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are in the high-profile ACC, but they don’t have Marquette’s basketball tradition. Unfazed, Williams turned Virginia Tech into a winner. After one transition season, Virginia Tech got to winning ways in his second campaign and were in the NCAA Tournament by his third season. Williams coached the Hokies to three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons.
In 2019, Williams left Virginia Tech to take over another reclamation project at Texas A&M. The Aggies are not a traditional basketball power, but like he did at Virginia Tech, Williams had Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament by his third season.
The Aggies are on track for their third-straight NCAA Tournament bid and have been ranked as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press poll – only the third time in school history the school has reached that lofty spot.
Williams is known for his intensity and work ethic. His best teams are very defensively sound. The Aggies rank ninth in the nation in defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com.
Williams’ teams live at the free throw line. Only one of his Texas A&M teams was ranked below 100 in free throw rate. His 2016 Virginia Tech was the best in the nation in getting to the line. Four of his teams have finished in the top 20 in free throw rate.
What Are Drawbacks With Williams
If you want a coach who plays an up-tempo style with a lot of 3-point shots taken, Williams isn’t your choice. Only one of Williams’ teams – his 2012 Marquette squad – has ranked in the top 50 in adjusted tempo at Kenpom.
His last two Texas A&M teams were ranked 342nd and 319th in 3-point percentage. However, Williams’ teams at Virginia Tech were consistently rated among the better 3-point shooting teams in the country.
While Williams has been a head coach or assistant in three different time zones, he is originally from Greenville, Texas, and went to graduate school in the Lone Star State. Indiana would have to fight the pull of home to get Williams away from Texas A&M.
Would Williams’ NCAA Tournament success sway Indiana fans? At Marquette, Williams led the Golden Eagles to two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. There was one more Sweet 16 appearance at Virginia Tech, but tournament success has eluded Williams at Texas A&M. The furthest the Aggies have advanced is to the second round.
Is It Realistic To Expect Williams To Take The Indiana Job?
There is conflicting information about Williams’ buyout at Texas A&M. On3.com reported on Wednesday that his buyout is a hefty $18 million, citing information from USA Today. However, ESPN.com reported that Williams’ buyout “is believed to be low” without providing a specific number.
If Williams’ buyout is too high, Indiana would likely move on to other candidates.
Would Williams be tempted by Indiana? It’s an open question. While he’s a Texas native and has the Aggies winning, there’s no question that basketball comes second at Texas A&M. With the House settlement era regarding directly paying players about to begin, will Williams have the resources for success with the Aggies that he might with the Hoosiers?
Indiana will likely allocate more of the approximate $20 million cap to basketball than some of its football-oriented peers.
Texas A&M is also a rare bird in the current climate – a team dominated by seniors. The Aggies have eight seniors, and all play at least a supporting role on his team. The transfer portal makes quick rebuilds a reality, but Williams could be tempted to move on in the old school sense when coaches sometimes jumped to other jobs when facing a rebuild.
Would Indiana fans accept Williams? Indiana fans will likely accept anyone who wins at a regular clip, but he wouldn’t be the first name to jump off the lips of most fans. Still, an eye should be kept on Williams, who has been a consistent winner throughout his career.
