TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Brooks Donald Williams, who has 25 years of collegiate women’s basketball coaching experience, has been officially hired as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, head coach Kristy Curry announced Friday. 

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Brooks to our staff. Her infectious personality, relentless work ethic and experience as a head coach make her the perfect hire,” said Curry. “She has many long-standing recruiting relationships and brings a wealth of basketball knowledge that will be invaluable as we continue to elevate the program. She was instrumental in the building of our program from 2016-19 to where we are today. We are excited to welcome Brooks, her husband Tyler and son Griffin to Tuscaloosa!”

Williams returns to Alabama after spending three seasons under Curry as an assistant coach (2016-19). Most recently, she served as the associate head coach at Southern Miss. In addition to spending time on the Crimson Tide and Golden Eagles staffs, Williams is a two-time Division I head coach, leading both University of Louisiana Monroe (2019-23) and McNeese State (2007-16) for a combined 13 years.

“I am extremely excited and grateful to Kristy [Curry] for giving me the opportunity to come back to Tuscaloosa. What a special place,” said Williams. “The job that she and her staff have done here is simply incredible. Kristy has turned Alabama into an elite program and one of the toughest and most well-respected teams in the country. I am honored to be a part of her staff and honored to rejoin her on the sidelines and help continue to elevate the Tide. Roll Tide Roll!”

Across her time as a head coach at ULM, Williams guided multiple student-athletes to all-conference honors, including a Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year as well as the league’s Freshman of the Year. While leading the McNeese State program, she was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year and still ranks as the program’s all-time winningest coach.

In addition to her on-floor coaching success, Williams is considered one of the top recruiters in the profession and her resume speaks volumes as she has signed several highly ranked prospects across her career. Most notably, she was able to help sign the nation’s sixth-ranked class in 2018 while with the Crimson Tide, as well as a combined 10 top 100 nationally ranked players during her time at USM. 

Brooks Donald Williams Bio

• A 25-year collegiate women’s basketball coaching veteran who began her career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2000
• A two-time Division I head coach where she led McNeese State (2007-16) and Louisiana Monroe (2019-23) for a combined 13 years
• Also made coaching stops at Southern Mississippi (2024-25; associate head coach | 2004-07; recruiting coordinator/assistant coach), Alabama (2016-19; assistant coach), Memphis (2003-04; recruiting coordinator/assistant coach) and Arkansas at Little Rock (2000-03; assistant coach)
• During her first stint at USM, signed a pair of junior college All-Americans along with the Mississippi and Arkansas Players of the Year
• Coached the SBC Freshman of the Year and Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team honoree while with the Eagles
• At Alabama, Williams helped sign the No. 6-ranked class in the nation of 2018 as rated by Blue Star Basketball Report, which included the top junior college player in the country, two McDonald’s All-American nominees and the 3A Alabama Player of the Year
• Coached a Sun Belt All-Conference members while also signing multiple top prospects to ULM’s roster, including the then-No. 13 center in the nation, two Louisiana Players of the Year, three top 10 Louisiana prospects and two McDonald’s All-American nominees
• Helped guide the Warhawks to several national statistical rankings – blocks (11th), rebounds (23rd), offensive rebounding (43rd) and defensive rebounding (47th)
• Re-wrote McNeese’s record book through nine seasons, leading the program to 161 victories to become the Cowgirls’ all-time winningest coach
• Guided the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament while also coaching McNeese to six consecutive postseason appearances and the first four postseason wins in program history
• Coached 18 Southland All-Conference selections, two conference tournament Most Valuable Player honorees and a Newcomer of the Year
• Named the President’s Award for Administrative Outstanding Community Service (2013) during her time at McNeese
• Received the Lake Charles American Press Coach of the Decade award (2020)
• Before coaching at the collegiate level, Williams spent time with two Amateur Athletic Union teams – the Acadiana Stars and the Mississippi Pride