Williams to join 76ers coaching staff

Former Thunder assistant Monty Williams is back on an NBA bench.

Williams will join the Philadelphia 76ers staff as their lead assistant, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s Williams’ first official coaching position since he took indefinite leave from the Thunder in February 2016 following the death of his wife, Ingrid, in an Oklahoma City car crash.

Following his lone season with the Thunder as associate head coach in 2015-16, Williams spent the last two seasons working in San Antonio as vice president of basketball operations. Williams also spent five years as an assistant coach in Portland and five seasons as head coach in New Orleans, leading the Pelicans to two playoff appearances.

In Williams’s time in Oklahoma City, he developed close relationships with numerous Thunder players, in particular former Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant, who he also coached in USA Basketball. Williams also forged strong relationships with former New Orleans star Chris Paul and current Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis.

Williams’ experience with young star talent will undoubtedly help Philadelphia’s rising core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. Under head coach Brett Brown, this season the Sixers finished 52-30, making the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and winning 50 games for the first time since 2000-01.

Four Stars make All-American

Kennedy Jackson, Abby Meador,Jaci Smith and Georgia Wall from Oklahoma City University collected NAIA softball all-American honors. Jackson, a freshman from Moore, and Smith, a junior from Godley, Texas, took first-team nods, while Wall, a junior from Marlow, snagged second-team acclaim.

Meador, a junior from Midwest City, earned an honorable-mention selection.