Buzz Williams flashed a Gig 'em. He began his introductory press conference Thursday with "Howdy!" He even offered an obligatory, "Whoop!"
The maroon jacket proved a perfect fit, too.
Williams will not need a dictionary of Aggieisms. He's got that down from the two seasons he spent as an assistant coach under Billy Gillispie in College Station.
"Maybe this comes across the wrong way, but the one thing that I would say is, I'm one of them," Williams said of Aggies. "I wasn't smart enough to be admitted into Texas A&M. But I think Aggies, Aggieland, the traditions -- I think all of that is super, super cool, and I think that's part of the fabric of what this institution is and has always been about. I think there's an instant connection."
What Williams could use is a campus map.
Things have changed in Aggieland since he left in 2006 for his first head coaching job at New Orleans. Williams didn't visit campus this week before taking the job.
"I didn't recognize any of this, none of the softball field, the track that's opening this weekend," Williams said. "I hadn't seen any of it, and all of this has happened so fast. It wasn't like I was on the Internet looking up pictures."
A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward once again got his coach. In the past 16 months, the Aggies have hired head coaches in four sports, getting their first choice all four times. Like Williams, the hires of football coach Jimbo Fisher, women's golf coach Andrea Gaston and volleyball coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn turned heads around the country.
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"Honestly, I think all of the foundation is in place," Williams said. "The facilities -- I haven't been to every place in the country -- but I would say that these facilities are as good as anywhere in the country. And I know just from the relationship that I have built with Scott that he's incredibly competitive, and he realizes the things that are important relative to the experience of the athletes and for the staff that represents those student-athletes.". . .I think we have a million miles to go, but I think all of that is in place."
Williams, 46, returns as one of the highest-paid basketball coaches in the country. He agreed to a six-year, $24.3 million deal that makes him the second-highest paid coach in the SEC behind only Kentucky's John Calipari.
"We just wanted you to know that right now, this is the right coach at the right time for Texas A&M," Woodward said.
Woodward has visions of becoming more than a "football school," with Williams charged with turning around a program that has not seen sustained success. Gillispie went 70-26 with two NCAA tournament berths in his three seasons but left for Kentucky. His successor, Mark Turgeon, went 97-40 with four NCAA tournament bids in his four seasons but left for Maryland.
In eight seasons, Billy Kennedy made the NCAAs only twice, though both trips saw the Aggies reach the Sweet 16.
Williams arrives with eight NCAA tournament appearances and four trips to the Sweet 16, including one Elite Eight berth while he was at Marquette.
Williams' Virginia Tech team nearly knocked off Duke in the Sweet 16 last week.
"He has history," junior guard TJ Starks said. "Just because he's Buzz Williams from Virginia Tech, you have no choice but to listen to him. . . .It's just good to know we have a veteran in the game. Just to have a person with titles under his belt and a lot of good history in basketball, it's just good to have him here."
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Williams didn't waste any time getting started. He began getting to know the returning players in a long meeting Wednesday night before scheduling a 6 a.m. workout for them Thursday.
"He's ready to work," junior guard/forward Savion Flagg said of his first impression. "He's ready to get in here and get going."
Williams was born in Greenville and grew up in Van Alstyne, 50 miles north of Dallas. He attended Oklahoma City University and Texas A&M-Kingsville and began his coaching career as an assistant at Texas-Arlington in 1994. His wife, the former Corey Norman, was a basketball star at Amarillo Canyon Randall, winning a state title and state MVP honors. His parents still reside in Texas as do Corey's. His youngest son, Mason, was born in College Station.Â
Thus, Williams repeatedly referred to his return "home."
Williams made Gillispie his final phone call before he and his family flew from Blacksburg to College Station on Wednesday night.
"I said, 'Hey, coach, I just wanted to say thanks and I'm flying home,'" Williams said.
Williams never dreamed he would ever return as A&M's head coach, pointing out he is the only coach at a major college who spent time at a junior college. He served as a student manager for Lewis Orr while at Navarro College in Corsicana.
"My trajectory in my career is atypical in every sense of the word," Williams said. "There's no way that you could have ever predicted that I would have the opportunities that I've had."
The Aggies don't have the basketball history some other schools have, with only 14 NCAA tournament appearances and 12 NCAA tournament wins. Still, that didn't stop Williams from saying the A&M job was "bigger than any dream I had," endearing him to Aggie fans before he ever wins his first game.
"I think my paradigm was so small that even what my dreams were, they were not anything as big as this," Williams said.
The maroon jacket proved a perfect fit, too.
Williams will not need a dictionary of Aggieisms. He's got that down from the two seasons he spent as an assistant coach under Billy Gillispie in College Station.
"Maybe this comes across the wrong way, but the one thing that I would say is, I'm one of them," Williams said of Aggies. "I wasn't smart enough to be admitted into Texas A&M. But I think Aggies, Aggieland, the traditions -- I think all of that is super, super cool, and I think that's part of the fabric of what this institution is and has always been about. I think there's an instant connection."
What Williams could use is a campus map.
Things have changed in Aggieland since he left in 2006 for his first head coaching job at New Orleans. Williams didn't visit campus this week before taking the job.
"I didn't recognize any of this, none of the softball field, the track that's opening this weekend," Williams said. "I hadn't seen any of it, and all of this has happened so fast. It wasn't like I was on the Internet looking up pictures."
A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward once again got his coach. In the past 16 months, the Aggies have hired head coaches in four sports, getting their first choice all four times. Like Williams, the hires of football coach Jimbo Fisher, women's golf coach Andrea Gaston and volleyball coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn turned heads around the country.
Â
"Honestly, I think all of the foundation is in place," Williams said. "The facilities -- I haven't been to every place in the country -- but I would say that these facilities are as good as anywhere in the country. And I know just from the relationship that I have built with Scott that he's incredibly competitive, and he realizes the things that are important relative to the experience of the athletes and for the staff that represents those student-athletes.". . .I think we have a million miles to go, but I think all of that is in place."
Williams, 46, returns as one of the highest-paid basketball coaches in the country. He agreed to a six-year, $24.3 million deal that makes him the second-highest paid coach in the SEC behind only Kentucky's John Calipari.
"We just wanted you to know that right now, this is the right coach at the right time for Texas A&M," Woodward said.
Woodward has visions of becoming more than a "football school," with Williams charged with turning around a program that has not seen sustained success. Gillispie went 70-26 with two NCAA tournament berths in his three seasons but left for Kentucky. His successor, Mark Turgeon, went 97-40 with four NCAA tournament bids in his four seasons but left for Maryland.
In eight seasons, Billy Kennedy made the NCAAs only twice, though both trips saw the Aggies reach the Sweet 16.
Williams arrives with eight NCAA tournament appearances and four trips to the Sweet 16, including one Elite Eight berth while he was at Marquette.
Williams' Virginia Tech team nearly knocked off Duke in the Sweet 16 last week.
"He has history," junior guard TJ Starks said. "Just because he's Buzz Williams from Virginia Tech, you have no choice but to listen to him. . . .It's just good to know we have a veteran in the game. Just to have a person with titles under his belt and a lot of good history in basketball, it's just good to have him here."
Â
Williams didn't waste any time getting started. He began getting to know the returning players in a long meeting Wednesday night before scheduling a 6 a.m. workout for them Thursday.
"He's ready to work," junior guard/forward Savion Flagg said of his first impression. "He's ready to get in here and get going."
Williams was born in Greenville and grew up in Van Alstyne, 50 miles north of Dallas. He attended Oklahoma City University and Texas A&M-Kingsville and began his coaching career as an assistant at Texas-Arlington in 1994. His wife, the former Corey Norman, was a basketball star at Amarillo Canyon Randall, winning a state title and state MVP honors. His parents still reside in Texas as do Corey's. His youngest son, Mason, was born in College Station.Â
Thus, Williams repeatedly referred to his return "home."
Williams made Gillispie his final phone call before he and his family flew from Blacksburg to College Station on Wednesday night.
"I said, 'Hey, coach, I just wanted to say thanks and I'm flying home,'" Williams said.
Williams never dreamed he would ever return as A&M's head coach, pointing out he is the only coach at a major college who spent time at a junior college. He served as a student manager for Lewis Orr while at Navarro College in Corsicana.
"My trajectory in my career is atypical in every sense of the word," Williams said. "There's no way that you could have ever predicted that I would have the opportunities that I've had."
The Aggies don't have the basketball history some other schools have, with only 14 NCAA tournament appearances and 12 NCAA tournament wins. Still, that didn't stop Williams from saying the A&M job was "bigger than any dream I had," endearing him to Aggie fans before he ever wins his first game.
"I think my paradigm was so small that even what my dreams were, they were not anything as big as this," Williams said.