UA hires assistant, but Thurman out
FAYETTEVILLE — Corey Williams is joining the University of Arkansas basketball coaching staff while Scotty Thurman is leaving it.
Thurman, an assistant coach on Mike Anderson’s staff the previous three seasons, isn’t being retained as an assistant by new Razorbacks Coach Eric Musselman, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Thurman, 44, was offered the opportunity to remain on the Arkansas staff in an administrative role as director of student-athlete development, but he declined that position, the source confirmed.
Thurman didn’t want to comment Wednesday, saying he preferred to do an interview at a later date.
News of Thurman’s departure from the staff came on the same day Musselman announced he had hired Williams, who was the head coach at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., the previous six seasons. He had a 58-133 overall record — including 7-24 last season — and was fired on March 6.
Williams, who turned 49 on Wednesday, was a point guard at Oklahoma State from 198892. As a junior and senior, he played for Cowboys Coach Eddie Sutton — who coached Arkansas for 11 seasons — and helped Oklahoma State to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances.
Williams played in the NBA on the Chicago Bulls’ 1993 championship team — when University of Arkansas at Little Rock Coach Darrell Walker, a former Razorbacks All-American guard, was among his teammates — and also with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1994. He also played in the CBA.
Between playing in the NBA and CBA, Williams spent the 1993-94 season as a student assistant for Sutton at Oklahoma State.
After Williams’ playing career ended with a stint in Taiwan from 1995-98, he was an assistant coach at Oral Roberts University and Florida State before being hired at Stetson.
“We are excited and fortunate to have a coach of Corey’s caliber,” Musselman said in a news release. “His experience as a head coach will be invaluable on our staff, and he was widely respected as an assistant coach for building winning programs.
“Also, his knowledge gained playing at the highest level will benefit our players’ development. Corey will help Arkansas compete at a championship level.”
Williams, a native of Macon, Ga., scored 1,320 career points at Oklahoma State. He was a second-round pick by the Bulls in the 1992 NBA Draft and also was picked in the 12th round of the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, even though he hadn’t played football since high school.
Williams is the first hire Musselman has announced for his staff, but Anthony Ruta — one of his assistants at Nevada — has been seen in videos helping coach at the Razorbacks’ offseason workouts.
“I am looking forward to working with Coach Musselman,” Williams said in a news release. “He is an unbelievable coach. He has a passion for Arkansas and is passionate about student-athlete success. This is a great time to be a part of Razorback basketball and I can’t wait to get started.”
Thurman, who starred on the Razorbacks’ 1994 national championship team, worked as Arkansas’ director of student-athlete development for six years before Anderson added him to the coaching staff.
In the past week, Thurman had been seen on videos released by the UA helping coach the Razorbacks in offseason workouts, but there has been no word from Musselman or the UA on Thurman’s status since Anderson was fired on March 26.
When Musselman was hired as Arkansas’ coach, Thurman attended the introductory news conference and said he hoped to stay with the Razorbacks as an assistant coach.
Anderson was hired as St. John’s coach Friday, but there has been no announcement about who he might have on his coaching staff.
John Pelphrey, Arkansas’ coach from 2007-11, first hired Thurman, and he was retained by Anderson.
Thurman, an All-SEC forward for the Razorbacks from 1993-95, ranks 10th on Arkansas’ all-time scoring list with 1,650 points. His most memorable of 611 baskets was a three-pointer with less than a minute left to help seal the Razorbacks’ 76-72 victory over Duke in the 1994 NCAA Tournament title game.