Coach Williams is entering his 2nd season as the Head Coach of the Indians. The 2017-2018 campaign ended in a Region 10 Championship overtime loss that would have given USC Salkehatchie their first taste of a Region 10 Tournament Championship and an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.
The Indians finished the season 20-10 Overall with multiple players receiving All-Region and National Honors. Deshaw Andrews was named Region 10 Player of the Year and a NJCAA All-American, Trey Potts was named Region 10 Newcomer of the Year, and Marques Sumner and Maxwell Benoit were tabbed 2nd Team All-Region. Deshaw Andrews (Alcorn St.) and Marques Sumner (Stetson) both went on to sign Division 1 Scholarships. All 8 sophomores graduated and signed scholarships to respected 4 year Universities.
Jake Williams was named the Head Men’s Basketball Coach on July 1st of 2017. He came to USC Salkehatchie following a 2 year stint as an assistant coach at Junior College perennial powerhouse, Northwest Florida State. In his two years in Destin, FL he saw 10 student-athletes graduate and move on to Division 1 programs. His vision for the USC Salkehatchie Basketball Program is to have a 100% graduation rate and help all players sign scholarships to respected 4 year Universities.
In 2016-2017 at Northwest Florida, Williams helped lead the Raiders to a 29-5 overall record, an undefeated Panhandle Conference Championship and a Final Four appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. He played a huge role in the development of both guards and post players which highlighted Daryl Edwards (LSU), Jared Wilson-Frame (Pitt), Ron Freeman (Long Beach State), Jeromy Rodriguez (ETSU), and Malik Petteway (Robert Morris).
In his first season as an Assistant Coach at Northwest Florida, the Raiders finished the 2015-2016 season at 27-6 after winning the Panhandle Conference Championship, Region 8 Tournament Championship, and making an Elite 8 appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. Williams was instrumental in the development of the Front Court for the Raiders which highlighted Will Pfister who signed to FAU, and Moustapha Diagne who is now at Western Kentucky. Williams was responsible for the recruitment of student athletes, player development, scouting, film exchange, team travel, monitoring of student-athlete academic progress, and strength and conditioning.
Prior to Northwest Florida State, Williams was the Director of Basketball Operations at North Carolina Central University for the 2014-2015 seasons. While at NC Central, the Eagles went 16-0 in MEAC play to win the regular season title, and earned an automatic bid into the NIT. At NC Central, Williams was in charge of day-to-day operations of the program, advanced scout, advanced recruiting, program newsletter, marketing of the program, and facility modifications for recruiting purposes.
Before landing at NC Central, Williams was at Middle Tennessee State University, where he served as a Student Assistant/Video Coordinator for the men’s basketball program. He worked for Head Coach Kermit Davis from 2012-2014. During his first season at Middle Tennessee State, Williams saw the Blue Raider program go 19-1 in the Sun Belt Conference earning the regular season championship and an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. MTSU finished that season 28-6 after falling to St. Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The following season, MTSU went 13-3 in Conference USA and earned a share of the regular season title, finishing the year 24-9. At MTSU, Williams was in charge of video editing, film exchange, assisting with the skill development of players during and outside of practice, assisted the Director of Basketball Operations with the day-to-day duties of the program, as well as the orchestration of elite and team basketball camps.
Williams graduated from MTSU where he studied Health Education and Sport Management, and is a native of Nashville, Tennessee.