William Small (basketball)

William Small is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls.

William Small
Current position
TitleAssistant Coach
TeamSouth Florida
ConferenceThe American
Biographical details
BornWinona, Mississippi
Playing career
1991–1993Belhaven
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1995Delta State (assistant)
1995–1997Cowley CC (assistant)
1997–1998Alabama-Huntsville (assistant)
1999–2000Tennessee-Martin (assistant)
2000–2003Southeastern Louisiana (assistant)
2003–2005Western Kentucky (assistant)
2005–2006Troy (assistant)
2006–2007Tulane (assistant)
2007–2010Georgia State (assistant)
2010–2011UTEP (assistant)
2011–2015Murray State (assistant)
2015–2021Iowa State (assistant)
2021–2023Kennesaw State (assistant)
2023–presentSouth Florida (assistant)

Early coaching career

Small is originally from Winona, Mississippi and attended Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi where he played varsity basketball for two years, completing his bachelor's degree in 1993. He started his coaching career immediately following his playing days, his first job was as a graduate assistant at Delta State. He then moved onto Cowley Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas for two years from 1995–1997. From 1997–1998, he was an assistant coach at Alabama-Huntsville. Small then moved onto the UT Martin Skyhawks for the 1999–2000 season. He spent the next three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana.

Small then got his first Division I coaching job at Western Kentucky where he stayed from 2003–2005. While at Western Kentucky, Small recruited Courtney Lee, who was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year[1] eventual 2008 first round NBA draft pick by the Orlando Magic.[2] Lee has also played for the Nets, Rockets, Celtics and currently plays for the Grizzlies.[3]

After his time at WKU, William moved onto Troy from 2003–2005 and then the Tulane Green Wave for the 2006–2007 season. He then moved onto Georgia State from 2007–2010. His next assistant coaching job was under former Iowa State head coach, Tim Floyd, at UTEP.

Murray State

Small then took an assistant job at Murray State where he flourished. He was part of the Racers’ 2011–12 season in which they spent 13 weeks in the national polls and rose as high as 10th, while becoming the last undefeated team at 23-0. The Racers produced their highest seed in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, a No. 6 seed, and won the third game in the history of the program with a win over Colorado State.[4] The Racers won a school and Ohio Valley Conference record 31 games and were the only team in Division I that went undefeated in road games at 13-0. He is credited with being the lead recruiter for Murray State on Cameron Payne, who was a first-round NBA Draft pick.

Iowa State University

When Steve Prohm was hired as the head coach at Iowa State, he took Small with him to serve as an assistant.[5]

References
  1. "Western Kentucky to retire Courtney Lee's jersey".
  2. "DraftExpressProfile: Courtney Lee, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook".
  3. Fischer, Jake (8 May 2015). "Courtney Lee's winding NBA journey ends in Memphis".
  4. "NCAA tournament 2012: Murray State moves on with 58-41 win over Colorado State". The Washington Post.
  5. "Reports: Prohm tabs top Murray State recruiter for Iowa State spot". The Des Moines Register.
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