Willis Wilson
Willis Wilson (born March 22, 1960)
Teams coached: Rice Owls, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Rice record: 218-247 (.469)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi record: 143-170 (.457)
Overall record: 361-417 (.464)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 2 (2004, 2005)
- CIT Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 2017)
- CIT Appearances: 4 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Awards:
- Ben Jobe Award: 1 (2014)
- WAC Coach of the Year: 1 (1999)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
2011-2021 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
2009-2011 | Memphis (asst) |
1992-2008 | Rice |
1991-1992 | Stanford (asst) |
1987-1991 | Rice (asst) |
1985-1986 | Rice (asst) |
Willis Wilson Facts
- Willis Thomas Wilson, Jr.
- Born March 22, 1960
- Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Alma Mater: Rice University (BA, 1982)
- Played at Rice for four years under head coaches Mike Schuler and Tommy Suitts; served as team co-captain as a senior
- Started coaching in 1985 as an assistant at Rice under Suitts
- Spent one year as the head coach at Strake Jesuit College Prep in Houston before returning to Rice in 1987, where he was an assistant for four seasons under new head coach Scott Thompson
- Was an assistant for one year under Mike Montgomery before returning to Rice in 1992 as the new head coach
- Won 218 games in 16 seasons at the helm at Rice, going to the NIT twice but never making the NCAA Tournament
- Was fired in March 2008 following a 3-27 (0-16) season; left Rice as the winningest head coach in program history
- Spent two seasons at Memphis as an assistant under Josh Pastner
- Hired in 2011 to be the head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
- Went to four-straight CITs, finishing as runner-up in 2017, and finished his 10-year tenure with a 143-170 overall record
- Retired from coaching in March 2021, will remain at the school as a special advisor to the Director of Athletics
- Along with his wife, Vicki, has one daughter and two twin sons
Willis Wilson Coaching Tree
- Trent Johnson (CSU Northridge, TCU, LSU, Stanford, Nevada)
- Paul Mills (Wichita State, Oral Roberts)
- Byron Rimm II (IUPUI)
- KT Turner (UT Arlington)