NBA champion Mo Williams, JSU basketball seek to replicate success of football program

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson State University’s football program rose to national attention following the hiring of now-head coach, Deion Sanders.

Now, the university will look to mirror the positive effects of the on-and-off field success and attention through the hiring of NBA champion and Jackson native, Mo Williams as their new head coach of JSU Tiger Basketball.

Williams had a long, illustrious NBA career before retiring. The Murrah High School graduate spent 14 seasons in the NBA, winning the championship with Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and was selected as an All-Star in the 2009 season.

Coach Williams says there is only one thing on his mind for the expectations of the program: To become a champion... again.

“My expectation is to be champions, to be number one. That is what we prepare for. Anything less will obviously be disappointing,” Coach Williams said. “We train to win championships and that’s all we really care about to be honest with you. We want to be successful and consistent in what we do on a daily basis.”

With Sanders attracting high-quality talent to his roster, most notably the 2022 number one overall high school football player Travis Hunter signing with JSU, associate head coach and long-time friend Trey Johnson says he and Coach Williams can recruit anybody and can replicate the standard set on the gridiron.

“Most definitely, I have been with Coach Mo for a couple of years now coaching. But I tell coaches all the time that I can recruit anybody because Mo Williams is my head coach,” said Coach Johnson. “He’s a 14-year [NBA] vet, an all-star, a world champ. So, I can go sit in any living room... I can get in any door.”

“Once I get in the door, everything is on the table with Coach Mo,” Johnson continued. “He is a great recruiter... He is a guy who can relate to anybody and to any family, as well as myself and the other coaches on the staff.”

Since the interview, Coach Williams and his staff have already made national headlines, grasping the attention of the 2023 five-star prospect out of high school Mikey Williams, who says he wants a visit to Jackson State.

Prior to his homecoming, Coach Williams led the Alabama State Hornets basketball program for two years before resigning to take the same job at JSU.

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