 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Maryland |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Record | 10–14 (.417) |
| Annual salary | $4,800,000 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1972-09-01)September 1, 1972 (age 53) Greenville, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Oklahoma City ('94) Texas A&M–Kingsville ('99) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1994–1998 | Texas–Arlington (assistant) |
| 1998–1999 | Texas A&M–Kingsville (assistant) |
| 1999–2000 | Northwestern State (assistant) |
| 2000–2004 | Colorado State (assistant) |
| 2004–2006 | Texas A&M (assistant) |
| 2006–2007 | New Orleans |
| 2007–2008 | Marquette (assistant) |
| 2008–2014 | Marquette |
| 2014–2019 | Virginia Tech |
| 2019–2025 | Texas A&M |
| 2025–present | Maryland |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 382–242 (.612) |
| Tournaments | 12–11 (NCAA Division I) 5–2 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Big East regular season (2013) | |
| Awards | |
| 2×SEC Coach of the Year (2020, 2023) | |
Brent Langdon "Buzz" Williams (born September 1, 1972) is an Americanbasketball coach who is the head coach at theUniversity of Maryland. He previously served as head coach atTexas A&M from 2019 to 2025,Virginia Tech from 2014 to 2019,Marquette from 2008 to 2014, andNew Orleans during the2006–07 season, and as an assistant coach atTexas-Arlington,Texas A&M–Kingsville,Northwestern State,Colorado State, and Texas A&M.[1]
Williams has been known to bring struggling and mid-tier programs to new heights throughout his career. He has also garnered a reputation for never staying at a program for more than six seasons. He coached at Marquette for six seasons, Virginia Tech for five, and Texas A&M for six.
Brent Langdon Williams grew up inVan Alstyne, Texas.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree inkinesiology fromOklahoma City University in 1994 and a master's degree in the same field atTexas A&M University–Kingsville in 1999. Williams married Corey Norman in 2000.[2] They have two daughters (Addyson and Zera) and two sons (Calvin and Mason). Referring to his boundless energy, his coaches atNavarro College nicknamed him Buzz. He was inducted to the Navarro College athletic hall of fame in 2021.[3]
Williams coached Marquette to a 25–10 record in the2008–09 season, where they lost to theMissouri Tigers in the second round of the2009 NCAA tournament. He coached Marquette to a 22–12 record in the2009–10 season, which ended with a close loss to the 11th-seededWashington Huskies in the first round of the2010 NCAA tournament.
During the2010–11 campaign, Williams led the Golden Eagles back to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since2003. His team went 22–15 including a 9–9Big East Conference record. They lost in the quarterfinals of the2011 Big East men's basketball tournament toLouisville. Marquette received an at-large bid in the2011 NCAA tournament. There they defeatedXavier in the second round (formerly the first round) andSyracuse in the third round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they were defeated by No. 7-ranked and No. 2-seededNorth Carolina.
Williams'2012 team returned to theNCAA tournament after finishing second in theBig East regular season, finishing 14–4 in conference play. As a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they defeatedBYU andMurray State to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. There, they lost to No. 7-seededFlorida.
After winning a share of theBig East Men's regular season championship,Marquette received an at-large bid in the2013 NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. There, they earned come-from-behind victories overDavidson in the second round andButler in the third round. In the Sweet Sixteen, the school's third straight under Williams, they defeated ACC regular season and conference championMiami to earn a trip to Williams's first Elite Eight, where they lost toSyracuse.
The2013–14 season was Williams' worst at Marquette, finishing 17–15 with a loss toXavier in theBig East tournament.
Williams was named the head basketball coach at Virginia Tech on March 21, 2014, replacingJames Johnson. The move had critics questioning why he would leave Marquette for Virginia Tech, "one of the country’s toughest rebuilding projects."[4] Williams left behind a program at Marquette, which had only nine scholarship players – none taller than 6'7" – for new coachSteve Wojciechowski.[4]
In Williams'first season, the Hokies finished 15th in the ACC with a 2–16 conference record, matching the lowest ACC win total in Virginia Tech history. However, with several true freshmen playing a significant number of minutes, a young nucleus was established. Expectations grew further when Williams landed commitments fromMaryland transfer Seth Allen, andZach LeDay fromSouth Florida. Both became eligible in the2015–16 season. After a slow start to the season, the team quickly improved. On January 4, 2016, the Hokies defeated their in-state rival and 4th rankedVirginia at home, marking Williams' biggest win at Virginia Tech to date. The team had continued success in the ACC, ending the regular season with another upset of a top-10 rival, this time 7th rankedMiami. Williams' Hokies finished the regular season at 10–8 inACC conference play; an improvement of eight wins from the previous year. The Hokies would receive an invite to the 2016 NIT where they advanced to the second round before losing toBYU.
On July 13, 2016, Virginia Tech and Williams agreed to a contract extension through the 2022–23 season. At the same press conference, Williams also announced his establishment of a new endowment and scholarship for the university. The Buzz’s Bunch Scholarship Endowment will be awarded annually to an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech in any field of study who is registered at the school with a disability. Also, "The Buzz and Corey Williams Family Student-Athlete Scholarship – In Memory of T. Marshall Hahn" will be awarded annually to an undergraduate female student-athlete at Virginia Tech.[5]
TheHokies began the2016–17 season with an 11–1 non-conference record and won their first ACC conference game against No. 5Duke in Cassell Coliseum on December 31, 2016. On January 29, 2017, Williams earned his 200th career win as a head coach with a win againstBoston College in Blacksburg.[6] After going 5–6 in their first 11 ACC games, the Hokies defeated No. 12Virginia in double overtime, marking Williams' fourth victory over a top-15 team in the past two years. The Hokies parlayed their success with a trip to theNCAA tournament for the first time since2007. As the No. 9 seed, they lost in the first round toWisconsin.
The2017-18 team had similar success, finishing the regular season with a 21–11 record and a 10–8 ACC record.[7] Williams led the Hokies to their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth but lost in the first round toAlabama.
The 2018-2019 team entered the top 10 for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. Before the season started, freshmanLanders Nolley (Top 100 recruit, 2017-2018 Georgia Player of the Year[8]) was deemed ineligible due to his ACT score being suspiciously high, casting doubt on its validity despite his high school coach describing Nolley as an "Ivy League-type guy".[9] ESPN's Jay Bilas tweeted that this was "another example of why the NCAA should get out of the eligibility business. It's just wrong".[10] In addition, senior leader Chris Clarke was indefinitely suspended prior to the start of the season. During conference play, Justin Robinson sustained a toe injury that kept him out of over half of the Hokies' conference games. Despite these major setbacks, Williams led the Hokies to a 23–7 regular season with 12 wins in the ACC, the most in program history. In addition, Virginia Tech received the fourth seed in the east bracket of the2019 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, tied for the highest seed in program history. After the Hokies defeatedSaint Louis University in the first round andLiberty University in the second round, Williams earned a bid to the Sweet 16, the program's first bid since 1967. In their Sweet 16 matchup the Hokies faced ACC rival Duke, a team they defeated earlier in the season. Duke prevailed over Virginia Tech after a missed last second shot by seniorAhmed Hill.
On April 3, 2019, it was announced that Williams would be leaving Virginia Tech to take the same position atTexas A&M.[11]
In hisfirst season, Williams took the Aggies to a 16–14 (10–8 SEC) record, and earned SEC Coach of the Year honors by theAssociated Press with a strong finish to the regular season. As the team was about to tip off againstMissouri in the SEC Tournament, the season was abruptly ended by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team was known for Williams's trademark defense, but the transition to a new offensive scheme proved difficult, culminating in an average margin of victory just slightly over 8 points by season's end.
Thenext year A&M had a promising season marred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and canceled a majority of their games on their way to an 8–10 (2–8 SEC) record.
In histhird year as coach, the team found some success and went 20–11 (9–9 SEC) in the regular season. The team also fought all the way to the SEC championship game in theSEC tournament, defeating#4 Auburn and#15 Arkansas along the way before dropping the title game to#9 Tennessee. Though expected by many to make theNCAA Tournament, an 8 game losing streak in the regular season was the deciding factor against their entry. Earning a top seed in theNIT, Williams led the Aggies to the championship game inMadison Square Garden before falling toXavier, finishing with a final record of 27–13 (9–9 SEC).
Williams'sfourth year was a roller coaster of sorts, but was nonetheless successful. Ranked in the Top 25 early in the season, out of conference losses toMurray State andWofford within the first few weeks led to some early doubters. The team would turn it around, however, finishing the regular season with victory over #2Alabama and a 23–8 overall record, 15–3 in conference, the most conference wins in Texas A&M history. The successful turnaround earned Williams his 2nd SEC Coach of the Year award in 4 years. The team's won 7 of 8 at the end of the season and into theSEC tournament before falling in the championship game to Alabama. Likely due to their early-season losses, A&M was given a 7-seed in theNCAA Tournament, despite being ranked 17th in the Top 25. This led to a difficult match-up against a hotPenn State team, who defeated the Aggies in the first round 76-59.
For the2023-24 team, Williams led the Aggies through another roller coaster season. Ranked as high as #12 before conference play, the team then proceeded to go on hot and cold streaks throughout the regular season, finishing with an overall record of 18–13 (9–9 SEC). Winning their way to theSEC tournament semifinals, including defeating #9Kentucky, they earned an at-large bid into theNCAA Tournament as a 9-seed. The team defeatedNebraska in the first round before falling to #2 rankedHouston in overtime, concluding their season with a 21-15 record.
The24-25 team maintained a presence within the Top 25 all season long, culminating in a regular season final record of 22–9 (11–7 SEC). An early loss toTexas in theSEC tournament led to the team earning a 4 seed in theNCAA Tournament, where they would go on to defeatYale in the first round, but fall to Big Ten tournament winnerMichigan in the second round, ending the season with a record of 23–11.
On April 1, 2025, Williams accepted an offer to become the head coach atMaryland.The Contract is worth a total guaranteed income of $30.3 million for 6 years, not including moving expenses ($75,000), monthly car allowance ($2,400) and monthly cell phone ($120).[12]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Privateers(Sun Belt Conference)(2006–2007) | |||||||||
| 2006–07 | New Orleans | 14–17 | 9–9 | 4th(West) | |||||
| New Orleans: | 14–17 (.452) | 9–9 (.500) | |||||||
| Marquette Golden Eagles(Big East Conference)(2008–2014) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Marquette | 25–10 | 12–6 | 5th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Marquette | 22–12 | 11–7 | 5th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Marquette | 22–15 | 9–9 | T–9th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2011–12 | Marquette | 27–8 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Marquette | 26–9 | 14–4 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 2013–14 | Marquette | 17–15 | 9–9 | 6th | |||||
| Marquette: | 139–69 (.668) | 69–39 (.639) | |||||||
| Virginia Tech Hokies(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2014–2019) | |||||||||
| 2014–15 | Virginia Tech | 11–22 | 2–16 | 15th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Virginia Tech | 20–15 | 10–8 | T–7th | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2016–17 | Virginia Tech | 22–11 | 10–8 | T–7th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Virginia Tech | 21–12 | 10–8 | 7th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Virginia Tech | 26–9 | 12–6 | 5th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| Virginia Tech: | 100–69 (.592) | 44–46 (.489) | |||||||
| Texas A&M Aggies(Southeastern Conference)(2019–2025) | |||||||||
| 2019–20 | Texas A&M | 16–14 | 10–8 | T–6th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Texas A&M | 8–10 | 2–8 | 14th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Texas A&M | 27–13 | 9–9 | T–5th | NIT Runner-up | ||||
| 2022–23 | Texas A&M | 25–10 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Texas A&M | 21–15 | 9–9 | T–7th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Texas A&M | 23–11 | 11–7 | 5th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| Texas A&M: | 120–73 (.622) | 56–44 (.560) | |||||||
| Maryland Terrapins(Big Ten Conference)(2025–present) | |||||||||
| 2025–26 | Maryland | 10–14 | 3–10 | ||||||
| Maryland: | 10–14 (.417) | 3–10 (.231) | |||||||
| Total: | 383–242 (.613) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||