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Ryun Williams
Head Coach
Years at Wayne State:
Nine years
Education:
Associates Degree - Sheridan College, 1990
Bachelors Degree - University of South Dakota, 1992
Masters Degree - University of South Dakota, 1997
Previous Positions:
Men's Basketball Assistant Coach - South Dakota, 1992-93
Men's Basketball Assistant Coach - Sheridan College, 1993-95
Head Volleyball Coach - Sheridan College
Women's Basketball Head Coach - Sheridan College
Contact Information:
Phone: (402)375-7311
E-mail: rywilli1@wsc.edu
2005-06 NSIC Coach
of the Year
Ryun Williams enters his ninth season as the head women's
basketball coach at Wayne State College. It was a season to
remember for the Wildcats in 2005-06 under Williams as WSC
notched a 27-4 mark, the best season in school history. Wayne
State won its first-ever Northern Sun Conference regular season
championship with a 13-1 league mark, earning the right to
host the 2006 NSIC Red Baron Women's Basketball Classic. The
Wildcats scored an exciting 59-54 win over Northern State
in the championship game and was awarded an automatic berth
to the NCAA Post-Season Tournament for the first time in school
history. Williams received the Northern Sun Conference Coach
of the Year Award for leading the Wildcats to their first-ever
NSIC regular season title.
With the success in 2005-06, WSC women's basketball achieved
several new accomplishments, including the school's first-ever
Top 25 national ranking. The Wildcats were ranked as high
as 19th in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll before finishing
the season ranked 25th, the first time that WSC ended the
season ranked in the national poll.
For just the second time in school history, WSC nothced back-to-back
20 win seasons in women's basketball. The Wildcats were 27-4
in 2005-06 and 20-11 in 2004-05 under Williams. The only other
time WSC posted back-to-back 20 win seasons were in 1976-77
(25-7) and 1977-78 (20-11). The 2005-06 team also set a new
school record for consecutive wins as the Wildcats won 17
straight games, passing the old school mark of 13 consecutive
wins during the 1976-77 season.
Williams became the all-time winningest coach in WSC women's
basketball history during the 2005-06 season, passing G.I.
Willoughby on December 1, 2005 when the Wildcats topped Augustana
54-48. Entering his ninth season as Wildcats' mentor, Williams
has accumulated an overall mark of 141-86, including 72-44
mark against NSIC schools.
Williams guided the Wildcats to a 20-11 overall record in
2004-05, including a 7-7 mark in the Northern Sun Conference.
It was the first 20-win season for the Wildcats under Williams.
The 2003-04 team also excelled in the classroom, named to
the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25
Team honor roll. The Wildcats ranked 23rd on the list with
a team grade point average of 3.365. It was the third time
under Coach Williams that Wayne State achieved the academic
honor.
Coach Williams was named the ninth head women’s basketball
coach at Wayne State College on April 21, 1998.
In his first year with the Wildcats, Williams compiled a 15-12
record, which was the program's first winning campaign in
four years. Williams' squad was also honored on the Women’s
Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 1999 Academic Top 25
Team Honor Roll. The Wildcats ranked fourth on the Honor Roll,
compiling a 3.576 team grade point average during the 1998-99
season. In just his second season, Williams guided the Wildcats
to a 19-9 record. With the 19 wins, he tied G.I. Willoughby
for the most victories in their second season.
"We want a successful program," Williams said. "We
want a program where we are winning on the court, in the classroom
and in the community. Our job isn't to create great basketball
players. Our job is to create great individuals who will be
successful in life."
Williams came to Wayne State after serving three years as
the head women’s basketball coach at Sheridan College,
a junior college in Sheridan, Wyo. During that time, Williams
turned Sheridan into one of the top programs in the region.
In three seasons as head coach, he posted a 54-38 record.
After a 7-21 record during his first season in 1995-96, Williams
guided the Lady Generals to a 19-12 mark in 1996-97 and a
28-5 record in 1997-98.
The 1997-98 Wyoming Conference and Region IX Coach of the
Year, Williams led Sheridan to the Wyoming Conference title
and a runner-up finish at the Region IX Tournament. The Lady
Generals were ranked 14th in the final junior college national
rankings.
Williams began his coaching career at Sheridan College in
1993. Prior to becoming the head women’s basketball coach,
he served as an assistant men’s basketball coach, and
was the head women’s volleyball coach for four years,
compiling a 117-66 record. Williams guided the Lady Generals
to a 33-14 record and a No. 14 national ranking in 1994. In
1995, Sheridan went 42-8, won the Region IX title and finished
fifth at the junior college national tournament. In both years,
Williams garnered Wyoming Conference and Region IX Coach of
the Year honors.
Williams played two seasons at Sheridan College, where he
was an All-Region IX player as a sophomore. In addition he
was a two-time All-Wyoming Conference performer and a two-time
academic all-conference selection. He then transferred to
the University of South Dakota where he earned All-NCC honors
after leading the nation in free throw percentage at 91.2
percent. He also was named academic all-conference as a junior
and senior. As a high school senior at Campbell County High
School, Williams was named the first ever Mr. Basketball for
the state of Wyoming in 1988.
Williams earned his associate’s degree from Sheridan
College in 1990, his bachelor’s degree from the University
of South Dakota in 1992 and his master’s degree from
the University of South Dakota in 1997.
Williams and his wife Lyndy have two daughters, Natalie, age
9, and Emily, age 6.
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