Jake Williams joined the Milwaukee men’s basketball program as an Assistant Coach in April of 2022. He was elevated to Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator in July of 2024, and has been a part of 20-win campaigns in each of the past three seasons, the best stretch for the program since four consecutive from 2002-2006.
During his time at Milwaukee, Williams has been instrumental in the recruiting and development of BJ Freeman (2022-23 & 2023-24 All Horizon-League Second Team Honors), Ahmad Rand (2022-23 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year), Faizon Fields (2023-24 Horizon League All-Tournament Team), Jamichael Stillwell (2024-25 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year & All-League First Team Honors), and Themus Fulks (2024-25 All Horizon-League Second Team Honors).
His efforts have not gone unnoticed across the basketball landscape as well, earning a spot on Silver Waves Media seventh annual compilation of the "100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches and GMs" for 2026.
Williams arrived in Milwaukee following a successful two-year run as the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas.
“Jake has taken two different programs to the national tournament,” head coach Bart Lundy said at the time. “I got to know Jake when he was at USC Salkehatchie. He took a really tough job at Salkehatchie and made them a national contender and then did the same thing at Dodge City. I love his toughness and grit, and he has a lot of the attributes I really admire in a coach … he will be great for our players.”
In his final season, he led the Conquistadors to an impressive 30-5 overall record, which included a 21-3 ledger in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play. The historic season for the program came to a close in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, capping a list of accomplishments for the team.
Williams led the squad to its first KJCCC title since 2007, its first Region VI crown since 1982, and the first trip to the National Tournament since 1974, while also establishing a school record for victories in a single season with 30.
Before his time in Kansas, Williams spent three seasons as the head coach at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, compiling a 68-24 record. His run there included consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history, highlighted by a 27-4 mark in 2019-20. His players were honored with back-to-back-to-back Region 10 Player of the Year and All-American Selections, and his teams made trips to the Region 10 Championship in each of the three seasons as well.
That 2019-20 campaign included a Region 10 regular-season championship as well as a District 10 Tournament crown. USC Salk won its first ever Region and District Championship and received the No. 7 overall bid and a first-round bye into the Sweet 16 before COVID-19 led to cancellation of the event. The team also set the school record for wins in a single season with 27.
His overall career record as a head coach stands at 112-38, a .746 winning percentage. He has helped 26 players move on to the NCAA Division I level over the past five seasons and recruited and coached six NJCAA All-Americans.
Prior to USC Salk, Williams served as an Assistant Coach at Northwest Florida State. In his two years in Destin, Florida, he helped 10 student-athletes graduate and move on to NCAA Division 1 programs.
Before arriving at Northwest Florida State, Williams served as Director of Basketball Operations at North Carolina Central University for one season where they finished 16-0 in the MEAC with a regular-season championship and NIT Bid.
Prior to North Carolina Central, Williams served as the Video Coordinator at Middle Tennessee State, where the team won a Sun Belt Conference Championship and a C-USA regular-season championship in his two seasons on staff.
Williams graduated from Middle Tennessee State, majoring in Health Education and Sport Management, and is a native of Ashland City, Tennessee. He and wife Justine were married in 2021 and have a 3-year-old son, Nash Williams, with a second son on the way, Tucker Williams.
