WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Jared Phay, head coach of the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Basketball team, today announced the hiring of Braxton Williams as his new assistant coach.
He replaces Jason Owens Sr., who resigned in May to take a position with Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. Williams’ hiring is pending approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors.
The West Plains native comes to the Grizzly Basketball program after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach for Matt Keeley at Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona. The Spirit made its first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament appearance this past season and reached the second round.
“Braxton is the perfect fit for what we need,” Phay said. “He is great at player development and is a very hard worker. I also am very impressed with the success they had at Ottawa. They built a winning program in a short amount of time. We couldn’t be more excited to have Braxton in our program!”
“I am very excited to return to West Plains,” Williams said. “I grew up watching the Grizzlies and it’s a dream come true to be a part of the program. I look forward to working with Coach Phay. With his proven track record of winning, I know we can have a lot of success!”
Williams was a three-year starter for the West Plains High School Zizzer boys basketball team. He earned all-conference honors twice and was a 1,000 point scorer for the Zizzers.
After graduating from West Plains in 2012, Williams began his collegiate career North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City playing for coach Mark Mohl. Williams was part of two 19-win seasons with the Trojans and earned All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference honors.
Williams continued his collegiate career at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma where he played for Jason Tinsley, who was Grizzly Basketball’s first assistant coach. Williams was the starting guard for the RiverHawks during his two seasons with the team.
After graduating from Northeastern in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance, Williams moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to work for PlayMakers Basketball, a club that trains NBA players and prepares NBA prospects for the draft. He trained current NBA players Eric Bledsoe (Portland Trailblazers), Rudy Gay (Utah Jazz), Matt Thomas (Chicago Bulls), Zylan Cheatham (New Orleans Pelicans) and Alex Len (Sacremento Kings), among others.
Williams’ coaching resumé also includes a stint as the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach for the Desert Vista High School girls basketball program in Phoenix.
In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Williams earned a Master of Arts in Leadership at Ottawa University.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit MSUWPGrizzlies.com or call 417-255-7991.
