Jaida Williams was named the sixth head women's basketball coach in Coastal Carolina University history on April 11, 2013, and is in her ninth season leading the Chanticleers in 2021-22. In eight years at the helm of the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball program, Williams has led the Chanticleers to a 114-116 overall record and a 65-81 conference mark (24-37 in the Big South and 41-44 in the Sun Belt).
In an unprecedented year, 2020-21 saw the Chants struggle and could not maintain the momentum gained from the previous two years. Coastal picked up three non-conference wins before dropping all 13 conference contests to finish out the season 3-15.
To say that the 2019-20 season was a record-breaking and historic season for Coastal Carolina women’s basketball may be an understatement. Williams led the Chanticleers to a program-record 25 victories with an overall record of 25-4. Williams was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Coach of the Year after her squad posted a 15-3 record and a second-place finish in the Sun Belt. For the third-straight season, she coached the Sun Belt’s leading scorer as senior DJ Williams averaged 19.4 points per game. DJ Williams also was selected the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference, while Naheria Hamilton was named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors. Sophomore Aja Blount was also selected second-team All-Sun Belt. Unfortunately, the season ended with the Sun Belt Conference canceling its championship tourney due to COVID-19. As a team, the Chants were second in the Sun Belt in scoring (78.21 ppg) and defense (61.69 ppg) and ranked tops in the conference with a +16.52 scoring margin. Coastal Carolina led the Sun Belt Conference in four team statistical categories and ranked second in nine other categories.
The 2019-20 season was a continuation of the growth of the program as the 2018-19 team made the program’s first-ever postseason appearance after accepting an invitation to play in the 2019 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). Coastal fell to Campbell at home in the opening round of the WBI tournament, but it did not diminish the significance of the appearance. Coastal also reached the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Championship for the second-straight season after hosting its first-ever Sun Belt tournament game at the HTC Center, a 63-49 win over ninth-seeded Arkansas State. It was additionally the second straight season that Williams oversaw the Sun Belt's leading scorer, as junior guard DJ Williams averaged over 18 points per game on her way to first-team All-Sun Belt honors.
In 2017-18, Williams led the Chants to a 17-14 overall record. Coastal also won 10 of 18 Sun Belt Conference games to finish seventh in the league, and Williams won the program's first Sun Belt Championship game as the Chants defeated Georgia State 74-55 in the first round of the 2018 conference tournament in New Orleans, La. Under Williams' tutelage, senior guard Jas Adams was the Sun Belt's leading scorer averaging over 18 points per game and became the program's first student-athlete to earn All-Sun Belt first team honors. Also earning All-Sun Belt accolades was sophomore guard DJ Williams, who was voted to the second team.
Williams helped usher in a new era of Coastal Carolina women's basketball in 2016-17 as the Chanticleers completed their first season of competition as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Chants went 13-16 overall, including an 8-10 record in Sun Belt games to place eighth in the conference. Williams and the Chants recorded Coastal's inaugural Sun Belt victory against Arkansas State on Jan. 17, 2017 at the HTC Center, and finished the regular season strong by winning four of their final five games. Senior point guard Ced Gibson became the first student-athlete in program history to be voted All-Sun Belt after placing in the top 10 in the conference in seven statistical categories.
Williams' third season in 2015-16 saw the Chants finish with a 12-18 overall record for the second consecutive year. That record included a 7-13 mark against Big South opponents in Coastal's final season of competition in the conference. Coastal finished ninth in the Big South and lost a heartbreaking 67-64 decision on a three-point buzzer-beater in the first round of the conference tournament.  The 2015-16 season included several notable wins, including Coastal's first-ever victory over Clemson on Nov. 15. The Chants also snapped a 45-game losing streak to Liberty with a 58-51 win over the Flames on Feb. 20 in Lynchburg, Va. Finally, Coastal's 105-15 win in the season opener against Mid-Atlantic Christian marked the program's largest-ever margin of victory. Coastal placed two student-athletes on All-Big South teams as Ced Gibson was voted a second team selection and Olivia Carlton made the conference's All-Academic Team.
In her second season, Williams led the 2014-15 Chants to a 12-18 overall record and a 6-14 mark against Big South opponents. Williams' team boasted the Big South's second-highest scoring offense, averaging 69.0 points per game, and the third-highest scoring margin at +3.7 points. Coastal also finished near the top of the conference standings in most rebounding categories, including first overall in defensive rebounds (27.70 per game) and second overall in rebounding margin (+5.6).
Williams also guided her student-athletes to several individual successes in the 2014-15 season. AJ Jordan finished the season as the Big South's leading scorer averaging 16.9 ppg and earned first-team All-Big South honors for the second straight year under Williams' guidance. Jordan also received Big South Player of the Week recognition on Jan. 19, as did junior Anna Vogt on Dec. 22. First-year Chanticleer Jas Adams was a Big South All-Freshman team selection at year's end and was twice tabbed the conference's Freshman of the Week during the season. Overall, three of Coastal's starters (Jordan, Vogt, Ced Gibson) finished in the league's top-20 in scoring, while two (Vogt, Alexis Robinson) ranked in the top-10 in rebounding.
Williams led Coastal to a 15-16 overall record and a 10-10 Big South mark during the 2013-14 season, her first on the Chanticleer sideline. The Chanticleers' 15 wins were the most since the 2009-10 season, while the 10 conference victories marked the most since the 1993-94 campaign. In addition, Coastal won a Big South Tournament game for the first time since 2010.
Three of Williams' starting five were all-conference performers, including AJ Jordan (first team), Angelica Henry (honorable mention), and Karsen Sims (all-freshman). Williams also mentored Alexx Puckett to a Big South Player of the Week honor -- the first for a Chanticleer since the 2010-11 campaign.
Williams laid the foundation for success at Coastal Carolina during her inaugural season, featuring her teams' up-tempo style of play. In 2013-14, the Chanticleers averaged 71.9 points per game, ranking second in the Big South Conference. In addition, Coastal shot an impressive 41.4 percent from the field and a league-best 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Moreover, Jordan ranked third in the conference averaging 16.6 points per game, becoming the first Chant to average 16-plus points since 2006-07.
Several records were broken in Williams' first season, highlighted by Angelica Henry recording Coastal Carolina's first-ever triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against Charleston Southern in the opening round of the Big South Tournament. The Chanticleers also set program records with their 4-0 start to Big South play, the largest margin of victory in a conference game with a 30-point win at Longwood on Dec. 28 and the largest margin of victory in a Big South Tournament contest with a 35-point victory against Charleston Southern on March 4.
Williams came to Conway after serving on head coach Jennifer Hoover's staff at Wake Forest. She spent the 2012-13 season as the Demon Deacons' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator where she built a top-20 recruiting class. In addition to her duties as recruiting coordinator, Williams also served as the team's offensive coordinator, helping the 2012-13 Demon Deacons average 67.6 points per game in the historically tough Atlantic Coast Conference.
In addition to her on-court duties at Wake Forest, Williams also helped the Demon Deacon student-athletes to a 3.2-grade point average while also serving as the program's alumni relations representative.
Prior to her time in Winston-Salem, Williams spent time with Ganon Baker Basketball, where she traveled the country working with WNBA players as a skills development coordinator.
Williams has previously served on the staff at Iowa, South Florida, and UC Santa Barbara. She was at UCSB for three seasons from 2008-11. While at UCSB, she played an instrumental role in helping the Gauchos twice win the Big West regular-season and tournament titles. UCSB made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and received a berth into the WNIT in 2011. Her recruiting classes were named the tops in the Big West in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. She also helped in the development of Mekia Valentine, who was drafted by the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2009.
Williams joined the Gaucho staff after two successful seasons as an assistant at the University of South Florida from 2006-08, where she assisted with recruiting, game preparation, and player development. During her stint at USF, she successfully recruited a top 16 class and made a pair of WNIT appearances.
Before joining the staff at South Florida, Williams served as the director of operations at the University of Iowa for the 2005-06 season.
Williams is an active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
As a player, Williams was a standout for Cal Poly Pomona from 2002-05, helping the Broncos to a 23-7 record her senior season. Graduating in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in journalism, Williams helped lead Cal Poly Pomona to a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament Regional Final before losing to Seattle Pacific.
Williams played her first two collegiate seasons at Barry University under current USF coach Janice Allen, where she helped the Buccaneers to a 21-9 record as a freshman, earning Sunshine State Conference's All-Freshman team honors. In her sophomore season at Barry, Williams led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game earning recognition on the All-SSC First Team and as a Kodak All-American honorable mention.
She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
