Avila University director of athletics Mike Sharpe has announced the hiring of Larry Williams as the new head women’s basketball coach.

Coach Williams takes over Avila’s head position after serving the past seven seasons as the top assistant to women’s coach Jill Cress at William Jewell College. During his time at William Jewell, Williams helped the program attain a 148-81 overall record while contributing to one Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship and three NAIA National Championship Tournament appearances.

Prior to his stint at William Jewell, Williams served as the head boy’s basketball coach at several Missouri high schools including, Blue Springs High School, Montgomery County High School, Wellsville-Middletown High School, Moberly High School, and Dixon High School. During that time he accumulated an overall record of 268-164 in 16 seasons.

"We are extremely pleased and excited to have found someone like Coach Williams" said Sharpe. "His experience as a former head coach and his time as an assistant within our conference make him a very qualified candidate who can come in and have an immediate impact for our program."