Ryun Williams

Ryun Williams
Williams in 2019
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamColorado State
ConferenceMW
Record232–139 (.625)
Biographical details
Born (1969-03-26) March 26, 1969 (age 55)
Gillette, Wyoming
Playing career
1988–1990Sheridan
1990–1992South Dakota
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1993–1995Sheridan (men's asst.)
1995–1998Sheridan
1998–2008Wayne State (NE)
2008–2012South Dakota
2012–presentColorado State
Head coaching record
Overall54–38 (.587) (junior college)
490–291 (.627) (college)
Tournaments
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
  • MW Coach of the Year (2014,2016)
  • NSIC Coach of the Year (2006)
  • NJCAA Region IX Coach of the Year (1998)
  • 2× Wyoming Conference Coach of the Year (1997, 1998)

Ryun Thomas Williams (born March 26, 1969) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head women's basketball coach at Colorado State.

Early life and college playing career

Born in Gillette, Wyoming,[1][2] Williams graduated from Campbell County High School and was awarded the Wyoming Mr. Basketball award in 1988.[3]

Williams played junior college basketball at Sheridan College before transferring to the University of South Dakota, where he played two seasons at guard for the South Dakota Coyotes.[3] Williams averaged 17.3 points and 2.3 rebound s in his junior season of 1990–91.[4] As a senior in 1991–92, Williams averaged 9.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.[5]

Coaching career

From 1993 to 1995, Williams was men's basketball assistant coach and women's volleyball head coach at Sheridan. Williams was women's basketball head coach at Sheridan from 1995 to 1998, during which he earned two Wyoming Conference Coach of the Year awards.[1]

Williams moved up to the NCAA Division II ranks as head coach at Wayne State College in Nebraska in 1998. In ten seasons with Wayne State, Williams led the team to two NCAA Tournaments (2006 and 2008) and earned Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2006 for Wayne State's first NCAA Tournament appearance in history.[3]

In 2008, Williams returned to South Dakota to become women's basketball head coach, for his first Division I coaching position. At the time, South Dakota was moving up from Division II. In Williams's last season as head coach in 2011–12, South Dakota reached a 23–8 record and WNIT appearance, the most success for the program in its Division I era.[1]

Williams became head coach at Colorado State in 2012. Colorado State went 11–19 in his first season and improved to 25–8 in 2013–14, along with a Mountain West Conference regular season title and WNIT appearance. Colorado State won the MW regular season and made the WNIT again in 2014–15. In 2015–16, Colorado State finished first in the MW for the third straight season, this time with an 18–0 conference record. For the first time since the 2001–02 season, Colorado State was ranked in the AP Poll. During his time at CSU, Williams has quickly surged to the winningest women's basketball coach in CSU history, and has registered 20 win seasons in 6 of his seasons at the helm, and a winning record in 7 out of 10 seasons. This includes 5 consecutive 20+ win seasons, 4 of which included regular season conference championships.[6]

Head coaching record

Junior college

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Sheridan Generals (Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference) (1995–1998)
1995–96 Sheridan 7–21
1996–97 Sheridan 19–12
1997–98 Sheridan 28–5
Sheridan: 54–38 (.587)
Total: 54–38 (.587)

College

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Wayne State Wildcats (NCAA Division II independent) (1998–1999)
1998–99 Wayne State (NE) 15–12
Wayne State Wildcats (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) (1999–2008)
1999–00 Wayne State (NE) 19–9 14–4 4th
2000–01 Wayne State (NE) 18–9 12–6 4th
2001–02 Wayne State (NE) 12–15 9–9 7th
2002–03 Wayne State (NE) 17–11 11–7 5th
2002–03 Wayne State (NE) 17–11 11–7 5th
2003–04 Wayne State (NE) 13–15 6–10 7th
2004–05 Wayne State (NE) 20–11 7–7 6th
2005–06 Wayne State (NE) 27–4 13–1 1st NCAA Division II First Round
2006–07 Wayne State (NE) 19–10 11–7 4th
2007–08 Wayne State (NE) 22–10 12–6 2nd NCAA Division II Sweet 16
Wayne State (NE): 182–105 (.634) 95–57 (.625)
South Dakota Coyotes (NCAA Division I independent) (2008–2009)
2008–09 South Dakota 18–11
South Dakota Coyotes (Summit League) (2009–2012)
2009–10 South Dakota 15–16 6–6 4th
2010–11 South Dakota 20–12 10–2 2nd WBI Second Round
2011–12 South Dakota 23–8 12–6 3rd WNIT Second Round
South Dakota: 76–47 (.618) 28–14 (.667)
Colorado State Rams (Mountain West Conference) (2012–present)
2012–13 Colorado State 11–19 7–9 6th
2013–14 Colorado State 25–8 15–3 1st WNIT First Round
2014–15 Colorado State 23–8 15–3 1st WNIT First Round
2015–16 Colorado State 31–2 18–0 1st NCAA Division I First Round
2016–17 Colorado State 25–9 15–3 1st WNIT Second Round
2017–18 Colorado State 21–12 11–7 T–4th WNIT Second Round
2018–19 Colorado State 8–22 2–16 11th
2019–20 Colorado State 12–18 6–12 T–9th
2020–21 Colorado State 15–6 11–5 3rd
2021–22 Colorado State 21–12 9–9 6th WNIT First Round
2022–23 Colorado State 20–12 12–6 T–3rd WNIT First Round
2023–24 Colorado State 20–11 10–8 T–4th
Colorado State: 232–139 (.625) 131–81 (.618)
Total: 490–291 (.627)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ryun Williams". Colorado State Rams. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Gillette's Williams breaks CSU coaching wins record". Gillette News Record. February 11, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Ryun Williams". University of South Dakota. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "FINAL 1991 DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "Final 1992 Division II men's basketball statistics report" (PDF). NCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Lytle, Kevin (February 22, 2016). "CSU women's basketball team breaks into top 25". The Coloradoan. Retrieved March 10, 2016.