ANN ARBOR, MI (WTKR)- Drew Williamson is no stranger to the Final Four stage. He's been here before in 2023 as an assistant at Florida Atlantic.
Now an assistant coach and director of player development at Michigan, the Old Dominion product is getting set to head back to college basketball's biggest stage for the second time in four seasons.
"It's one of those goals you have when you start coaching," Williamson told WTKR News 3 during an interview Tuesday morning. "You go to the Final Four, you go to all those coaching conventions and you kind of look out there and say 'man, I would love to do that one day' and to have the opportunity to do it twice, you don't take it for granted."
Williamson is in his second season in the maize and blue, helping to guide a Michigan team that is 35-3 and the top seed in the Midwest Region. The Wolverines will face Arizona in the national semifinal Saturday night. He says being there before certainly helps in preparing the second time around.
"I was texting with Alijah Martin, who was with us at FAU, today and he was unique about shooting on the outdoor courts before we went to the Final Four just to change the depth perception," he said. "Those little things that you can take and give to the players that we have now and say 'listen guys, this worked for him, he shot the ball extremely well in two Final Fours.'"
The assistant coach also noted that he's learned to take care of the things off the court prior to departure, such as travel arrangements for family and tickets.
Williamson played for Old Dominion from 2003-2007, helping the Monarchs to two NCAA Tournament appearances. His coaching career began at ODU before an eight-year stint at Virginia State. The former guard joined Dusty May's staff at Florida Atlantic in 2021 and made the jump to Michigan when May took the head coaching job in Ann Arbor. So did his time in Norfolk help get him ready for the Final Four stage? Williamson says playing for Blaine Taylor played a role in preparing him for these moments.
"He was always a coach who was extremely focused on the right now," he pointed out. "I think just the toughness and the approach to basketball. I think that's probably the biggest thing I got from him."
Williamson also credits the organization he learned as director of basketball operations at Old Dominion with helping in his coaching success.
Michigan and Arizona tip off at approximately 8:49 p.m. Saturday following the first national semifinal between UConn and Illinois.
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