Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Helen Williams Named Head Coach at Merrimack College
May 01, 2006 | Women's Basketball
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Princeton women's basketball assistant coach Helen Williams has been named the head women's basketball coach at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., the university's athletic department announced Monday. Williams served four seasons at Princeton and moves on to her first head coaching position.
"I am thrilled to have been selected as the head coach of Merrimack College women's basketball," said Williams. "Under the leadership of President [Richard] Santagati and [Director of Athletics] Sean Frazier, Merrimack's athletics department has tremendous potential, and I look forward to being a part of its growth."
"Helen has been an integral part of our team for four years and her hard work and efforts have contributed greatly to our success," Princeton head coach Richard Barron said. "She is well deserving of the opportunity to run her own program and we are quite happy for her and proud of her."
Arriving for the second season of Barron's tenure, Williams helped guide a team from single-digit win totals in her first two seasons to a program-record 21 wins and an Ivy League championship this year. For the second time in its history, Princeton came within one game of advancing to the NCAA Tournament, falling to Dartmouth in an Ivy playoff.
As Princeton's recruiting coordinator, Williams helped bring six players to Old Nassau who would become All-Ivy rookie picks. Sophomore Meagan Cowher became Princeton's first Ivy Rookie of the Year in 2005.
Williams was an assistant coach for 19 seasons at six schools. A 1987 Wake Forest graduate, Williams spent two years at Lenoir-Rhyne College before returning to Winston-Salem for two seasons. She served at South Florida from 1991-93 before coaching four years at Western Michigan and five years at Navy. Williams came to Princeton in 2002.
"We are excited to have Helen Williams join the Merrimack College athletics department as our new women's basketball coach," said Frazier. "She will be a good fit for the college and will do very well here. She brings with her an outstanding presence and comes from great experience."