Never Cutting Corners: The Work Ethic That Built Buzz Williams’ Coaching Empire

Brent “Buzz” Williams, then an 18-year-old student at Navarro College, learned a valuable lesson that has since guided his coaching career.  

Uninvited, the wannabe coach showed up and attended the school’s basketball practice. He was approached by then-Bulldogs head coach Lewis Orr, who sternly told Williams his practices were closed to visitors. However, Orr allowed Williams to stick around, but only if he agreed to sweep the floor.

Williams obliged, and when he believed he was finished, the teenager dared to ask Orr what else he could do for him. Watching Williams’ every move, Orr fired back. 

“You didn't sweep the corners,” Orr said as he described the encounter in a web article published on the 12th Man Foundation’s website. “If you don't get the dust off the floor, it's going to sift back out on the floor, and we might have some good player slip down and be out for the year. … Let's do it again.”

This time, Williams swept the corners and finished the job to Orr’s liking. The simple interaction foreshadowed his work ethic and ability to execute a given task, even through trial and error. 

Williams, now 52 years old and a veteran coach entering his 32nd season and 19th as a head coach, has never cut corners since. With 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and thirteen 20-win seasons to his name, Williams has achieved success at every destination. 

His most recent was in College Park, where he was named Maryland men’s basketball head coach over the offseason in April. The coach brings with him two SEC Coach of the Year honors, four NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances — including a trip to the Elite Eight — and 100 or more wins at three different institutions (Marquette, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M).

Williams’ rise to one of collegiate basketball's top active coaches is marked by junior college roots, a blue-collar work ethic and an inconceivable desire to succeed. Still, his fame and fortune haven't changed him, as his hardworking background keeps him true to himself.

“I’m really proud of how I grew up,” Williams said in an article published by The Roanoke Times. “I’m very thankful that I had to go to junior college and pay my way. That’s been one of the better things that’s happened to me because I learned how to work. I learned the value of a dollar.”

Buzzin’ Around 

Williams was born in Greenville, Texas, and grew up in the small town of Van Alstyne. He was never a standout athlete in any sport, but he developed an early appreciation for the values and principles instilled in young men by coaches. 

“For a lot of young men, coaches are the last bastion of hope,” Williams said in an interview with Johnny Holiday. “They’re merchants of hope. They’re hope dealers. They give young people an opportunity to dream, to have a vision that you could do this, you could go here [and] this is how you could do it.” 

Coaches at the collegiate and professional levels, as well as those at Williams’ Van Alstyne High School, sparked his aspiration. He began attending practices held by coaches who didn’t even coach him. This is how Williams learned exactly what teaching and coaching were and what the jobs entailed.  

Williams attended Navarro College, knowing that he wanted to become a coach one day. Once he got on campus, he introduced himself to the school’s athletic director and various coaches from different teams. He got involved by attending practices, where he helped with tasks such as sweeping floors, washing clothes and assisting with other menial tasks. 

Navarro College was where Williams got his start, and it was also where he earned his nickname “Buzz.” Regardless of the task he was given, he approached it with high energy and enthusiasm. Orr took notice, drawing a comparison to Williams’ persistence with that of a bumblebee. 

“He just won’t quit,” Orr said in a story published by Milwaukee Magazine. “He’ll just work another hour, another hour, another hour, if that’s what it takes. … We wanted you to work like you were being paid a million dollars, and he did.”

A Story Only God Could Author 

Williams served as a student assistant for the Navarro College men’s basketball team from 1990-92. After graduating, he attended Oklahoma City University, where he assumed a similar role.

By 1994, as a senior at OCU, Williams had mapped out a strategy to secure a coaching position that came with a paycheck. From the beginning of his first day of college until his last day, Williams wrote a letter to any college coach he met — regardless of title or classification — once a week.  

“I didn’t know anything about college basketball, to be honest with you, but I knew how to say ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘No, sir,’” Williams said during a Marquette media session in 2011. “I wasn’t scared to work, and I knew that being polite and being honest would at least give you a chance.”

In January, months before the NCAA Tournament began, Williams planned to attend the 1994 Final Four in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, he had little to no money. He visited the financial aid office at OCU — the same place where he often stole stationery to write letters to coaches — to ask for a loan.  

After some pushback, Williams was granted a $1,200 emergency student loan. He used it to buy a suit, shirt, tie, belt, pair of socks, shoes and a round-trip plane ticket to Charlotte. He had zero dollars left once he arrived in Charlotte, yet he continued hustling.  

“[I was] dressed with what I bought at Bachrach, and as many colors of construction paper with my resume on it that in essence said I knew how to sweep the floor from corner to corner,” Williams said. “For three consecutive days and three consecutive nights, I stood in the lobby of the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Charlotte and passed out every resume that I could.”

On the Saturday night of the semifinals, one of the coaches Williams had written to told him about an assistant coaching job at UT Arlington. Showcasing his interest in the position, he left a message for then-head coach Eddie McCarter at the top of each hour until Monday afternoon, before the championship game. 

Williams flew back to Oklahoma City that night and promptly drove to Texas, determined to meet McCarter face-to-face. Once arriving in Arlington, he found the coach’s home address in a phonebook at a Shell gas station. 

The convenience store attendant guided Williams halfway to his destination, and he finally got to McCarter’s house after stopping to ask for directions at three other convenience stores. He sat in his car parked in front of the house until Tuesday night, when McCarter finally arrived.  

“[He] drove in his parking garage, and when he got out of his car, I got out of my truck,” Williams recalled. “I said, ‘Hi, Coach McCarter, I just wanted to say one more time how much I really want the job.’ And he said, ‘You have to be the craziest (expletive) I’ve ever seen.’” 

McCarter must’ve also been crazy because he invited Williams into his house. Their conversation was brief. Williams sold himself, promising that if hired, he would work harder than anyone else.

Williams drove back to Oklahoma City following the conversation. He then spoke with UTA's athletic director later in the week. He promptly secured the job and was set to start within a week. The only problem was that it was early April, and Williams hadn’t yet graduated from OCU, which UTA was unaware of at the time. 

He went to every one of his teachers and explained what transpired. Some gave him the grade he earned up to that point, while others required him to complete projects, book reports, tests and other assignments. He took zeros on many of them. 

Williams did the best he could, finishing his degree in four days. He then packed all his belongings into a U-Haul and picked up his diploma from the school’s registrar's office on his way to Arlington.   

“I got in the U-Haul and drove to Arlington, had no money, had nowhere to live,” Williams said. “I slept in the U-Haul in the parking lot of the athletic office until Monday morning at 8:00. Monday morning at 8:00, I walked in there and I said, ‘I’m here.’ That’s how it all started.”

An Empire Built On Grit

Williams wrote to over 400 college coaches during his four years as a student. Now he’s closing in on 400 wins as head coach. His grit and persistence allowed him to build an empire. The engine that fueled his determination to become a coach hasn’t left either. 

As former OCU coach Win Case pointed out in 2014, it's Williams’ relentless attitude that makes him a successful coach and recruiter. Case recalled one of his initial interactions with the coach, which is reminiscent of his preliminary exchanges with McCarter. 

“He was so persistent. That’s how he is in recruiting,” Case said. “He would call every single day. And then out of nowhere, he just shows up in a suit. He said, ‘Coach, I don’t want to bother you, but I just want you to know I really, really want to work for you.’”

Williams has since returned the favor to many of the coaches who took a chance on him and helped forge his coaching career. One example is when he hired Orr — the man who gave him his start — during his first year at Marquette in 2008. 

Orr retired for one day after coaching for over 30 years. He went on to serve as a consultant under Williams for many more years. The feat is just one example of Williams’ loyalty. 

That loyalty was echoed by Scott Cross, who was the first athlete Williams recruited after McCarter hired him at UTA.

“When you’re in Buzz’s inner circle, you’re there for life,” said Cross, who was a former UTA head coach now leading Troy’s basketball program. “He keeps in contact with all his guys. Even guys who played lesser roles than I did, who aren’t in the business. … He’s one of the most loyal guys around.”

Since taking over at Maryland, Williams has built an entire roster and coaching staff from scratch. He’s tasked with leading a team fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

His track record of success, paired with an unprecedented journey to the top of the ranks, makes Williams the man fit for the job.    

“There's something that's life-changing about being on a team,” Williams said during his introductory press conference. “To have the opportunity to be on this team means the world to me. … Anybody associated with the team that will be a part of now will give their best.”