FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood Head Men's Basketball Coach
Ronnie Thomas announced the addition of
Donovan Williams to the men's basketball staff as an assistant coach.
Williams brings more than a decade of coaching experience to Longwood in his second stint with the Lancers, and he has helped guide teams to success both in the regular season and the postseason throughout his coaching career.
"Donovan knows what it takes to win championships at Longwood because he helped build the standard for three years that culminated with the 2022 championship," Thomas said. "He brings a positive energy, humility and passion for helping young men. Our players will benefit not only from his basketball knowledge but also from the way he invests in people, builds relationships, and models what it means to show up every day with purpose and consistency."
Longwood fans will recognize Williams from his tenure on staff during the team's run to the NCAA National Tournament in 2022, and he helped Longwood advance to back-to-back NCAA postseasons in his three years in Farmville.
The 2022 season capped the three-year stretch with an incredible 26-win campaign that included a 15-1 record in Big South play and a No. 14 seed in the NCAA National Tournament, where the Lancers played Tennessee. That run also included a trip to the CBI in 2021, and he was listed by Silver Waves Media among the top 50 most impactful low-major coaches in the nation in 2020.
"I'm excited and grateful to reunite with Coach Thomas and this amazing basketball culture at Longwood University," Williams said. "I look forward to working with him and the staff as we change the lives of our student-athletes and compete for Big South Championships."
Most recently, Williams served as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts after two seasons on staff at South Florida. In his first season with the Bulls, he helped guide USF to a 25-8 record, including a 16-2 record in the American Athletic Conference while also recording a win in the NIT.
Prior to his first stint in Farmville, he served at Cornell for three seasons, with the Big Red improving their win total each year of his tenure. It culminated with a trip to the CIT in his final season.
He spent one season at Princeton, where he helped the Tigers go 22-7 overall and 12-2 in Ivy League play to earn a berth in the NIT following five years on the bench at Lafayette.
While at Lafayette, he helped build the team over his five years to an NCAA Tournament team in the 2014 campaign. He was integral in the team's 20-win campaign that season to earn the trip to March Madness.
He began his coaching career at Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant, helping the Yellow Jackets post a 23-win campaign in the 2009-10 season.
As a player, Williams was a four-year letterwinner at Park University. He was a team captain as a senior, and he helped lead Park to the NAIA Sweet 16 in 2007, where he also earned All-NAIA Independent Conference honors.
He holds his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Park, obtained in 2008. He earned his master's degree in sports administration from Georgia State in 2010.
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