Chicago State Interim Director of Athletics Jessica Poole announced today that Andrea Williams has been named head coach of the Cougars women's basketball team. A 27-year coaching veteran across Division I, II and III women's basketball, Williams comes to CSU following three years of leading the Division II Fort Valley State Wildcats.
"We are very excited to welcome Coach Andrea Williams to Chicago State to lead our women's basketball program," Poole said. "After conducting a search, it was clear that coach Williams' vision for excellence both on and off the court was in perfect harmony with our University and Athletic department values. We look forward to watching the growth of our young women on and off the court under her leadership."
During her time at Fort Valley State, Williams led the Wildcats to a first-year record of 13-14 and 9-8 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, earning victories in two of her first three games on the way to the program's most wins in six years. During her first season at FVSU, the Wildcats earned a home upset win over nationally-ranked and SIAC Tournament and East Division champion Benedict College, a sweep of rival Albany State, a victory over regionally-ranked West Georgia and led NCAA Division II in offensive rebounds (19.8 rpg) and third in rebounds per game (48.1 rpg). In three seasons at Fort Valley State, she accumulated a 28-34 record and a 17-22 Southern Intercollegiate Conference mark.
"I am very happy to join the CSU family and work with some tremendous people at the University. AD Poole shared with me a great vision for this program and for the entire athletics department. This is a very exciting time to be a Cougar and I look forward to building this program and finding the right players to join us."
Prior to leading Fort Valley State, Williams was an assistant coach at two Division I schools, Oakland University (2016-19) and Purdue Fort Wayne (2015-16), following a six-season stint as the head coach of the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) women's basketball program (2010-15). During her time in Colorado Springs, the Falcons defeated nationally-ranked teams, including Colorado State, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Fresno State and Boise State.
Prior to her work at the USAFA, she served as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida (2008-10), Jacksonville University (2004-08), the U.S. Naval Academy (2002-04) and the University of Tampa (1999-2002). During her time at South Florida, the Bulls earned the 2009 Division I NIT tournament crown and while she was at Jacksonville University, Williams was part of Dolphins teams which defeated the University of Miami, Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University.
Williams began her coaching career at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (1995-97), followed by a head coaching role at Division III Waynesburg University (Pennsylvania) (1997-99).
Williams graduated from Vincennes University with an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in physical education and a Bachelor of Science degree in physical eduction from Edinboro University.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach
Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.
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