Isaac Williams was appointed the seventh head coach for the California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) men’s basketball team. The 2017-2018 season will be his first season in the Kelp Bed.
Unlike many coaches, Williams did not know he wanted to become a basketball coach until the 10th grade, when he started playing basketball on Junior Varsity (JV). At that point, Williams also realized what kind of coach he wanted to become. His cool, young JV coach made the sport fun and taught him a lot about confidence and life, he said.
Williams wants to make an impact on other lives the same way his coach did for him.
Williams has a wide variety of collegiate coaching experience, where he has coached at Eastern Oregon University and Boise State University.
With a deep love for his family, Williams decided to take the head coaching position at CSUMB in order for his family to be together. Williams was also attracted to the beautiful Monterey Bay area, as well as the kind coaching staff and athletics director, he said.
He is optimistic for the CSUMB athletic program and similarly to the other coaches, he sees the potential of what the young university and young athletic program can be.
The 2017-2018 basketball season is a clean slate not only for Williams but for his players too. The previous years’ records do not have an impact on future or current years; therefore, there is no looking backwards, said Williams. His focus for his team is to establish a basketball culture where the little things mean a lot, on and off the court.
The CSUMB men’s basketball team is fighting for a culture where the players are responsible for their own actions and understand how individual actions impact the group, and being better at supporting one another on and off the court, said Williams. He emphasizes understanding how body language, treating teammates, and high expectations all impact winning.
Williams believes that players who think about the team first and give maximum effort can accomplish a lot.
Although wins and championship games are exciting, they are not the most rewarding parts about being a coach, said Williams. He appreciates seeing his players get married, have kids and establish careers.
Aside from coaching, Williams enjoys reading. He is currently reading The Captain Class, which is a book about the best teams in the history of all sports and the commonalities between the teams. He is also a fanatic of Malcolm Gladwell and recommends his writing.
Catch the men’s basketball team in the Otter Sports Complex on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m for their game against Cal State San Bernardino, and on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. for their game against Cal Poly Pomona.