New basketball coach Kent Williams led his team at SIU Carbondale in scoring all four years.

He was the league leader in three-pointers.

He is also a member of the SIUC Athletic Hall of Fame.

None of these are what he considers to be his greatest achievement.

“I worked my tail off,” Williams said. “The fact that I didn’t miss a practice in four years and that I started every game – that meant that I was reliable and accountable.”

Williams believes that this accountability was instilled in him by his parents, whom he views as his role models. He admires the way they raised him and his siblings, shaping them as the people they are today.

“I think as a kid you kind of have role models when you look at players and things like that,” Williams said. “I think as you get older, you realize values and different things change and it’s not just about being a great ball player. I get to work with kids every day, so my parents are my role models for how they raised us.”

He hopes to be a role model for his children as well. He enjoys spending his free time with them. In addition, he likes outdoor activities, such as playing golf and doing yard work. Teaching PE is also an enjoyment for him, as he likes to interact with students and have a good time. When contacted about the coaching job, he was intrigued right away. He knew the way that De Smet represented itself.

“As a college coach you go around and see a lot of high schools when you’re recruiting, and De Smet is a school that always stood out to me,” he said. “I knew what De Smet stood for – not just from a basketball standpoint but from an academic and philosophic standpoint.”

He plans on continuing this tradition with the team in addition to bringing a new sense of identity. He is already planning schedules for conditioning and weight training to get his players ready before the season starts. He wants his players to take a step up this year.

“It’s going to be what we’re branded as and what people will know us as,” Williams said. “We’re gonna be hard-nosed, dive on the floor, leave everything on the court team that nobody wants to play.”