Willis Wilson
{{short description|American basketball coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Willis Wilson
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title =
| current_team =
| current_conference =
| current_record =
| contract =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|3|22}}
| birth_place = Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1978–1982
| player_team1 = Rice
| coach_years1 = 1985–1986
| coach_team1 = Rice (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 1986–1987
| coach_team2 = Strake Jesuit Prep
| coach_years3 = 1987–1991
| coach_team3 = Rice (assistant)
| coach_years4 = 1991–1992
| coach_team4 = Stanford (assistant)
| coach_years5 = 1992–2008
| coach_team5 = Rice
| coach_years6 = 2009–2011
| coach_team6 = Memphis (assistant)
| coach_years7 = 2011–2021
| coach_team7 = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| admin_years1 = 2018
| admin_team1 = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (interim AD)
| overall_record = 361–417 (college)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 1–3 (NIT)
6–4 (CIT)
| championships =
| awards = Ben Jobe Award (2014)
WAC Co-Coach of the Year (1999)
| coaching_records =
}}
Willis Thomas Wilson Jr. (born March 22, 1960) is an American former basketball coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders men's basketball team before retiring in March 2021. He previously served an assistant coach for the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team. Wilson was head men's basketball coach of at Rice University for 16 seasons, from 1992 to 2008.
A former basketball letterwinner and 1982 graduate from Rice, Wilson served as an assistant at Rice in the 1980s and as an assistant at Stanford University in 1991. He became head coach at Rice in 1992. During his 16 years as head coach at Rice, Wilson became winningest coach in Rice basketball history.{{cite web |url=http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wilson_willis00.html |title=Player Bio: Willis Wilson – MEMPHIS OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE |website=www.gotigersgo.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121090506/http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wilson_willis00.html |archive-date=2010-01-21}} After a 3–27 record in 2007–08, Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte announced on March 14, 2008, that Wilson would not be retained for the next season.{{Cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/rice/5621847.html|title = Rice fires men's basketball coach Willis Wilson|date = 15 March 2008}}{{Cite web |url=http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031408aab.html |title=Rice Official Athletic Site |access-date=2008-03-17 |archive-date=2008-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513190726/http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031408aab.html |url-status=dead }}
On April 17, 2009, Wilson was hired by Memphis head coach Josh Pastner as an assistant.{{cite web|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/17/willis-wilson-glynn-cyprien-hired-memphis-tiger-as/ |access-date=2023-10-12| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320052436/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/17/willis-wilson-glynn-cyprien-hired-memphis-tiger-as/ |archive-date=2012-03-20 |title=Willis Wilson, Glynn Cyprien hired as Memphis Tiger assistants}}
Head coaching record
=College=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Rice Owls
| conference = Southwest Conference
| startyear = 1992
| endyear = 1996
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1992–93
| name = Rice
| overall = 18–10
| conference = 11–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = NIT Second Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1993–94
| name = Rice
| overall = 15–14
| conference = 6–8
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1994–95
| name = Rice
| overall = 15–13
| conference = 8–6
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1995–96
| name = Rice
| overall = 14–14
| conference = 5–9
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Rice Owls
| conference = Western Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1996
| endyear = 2005
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1996–97
| name = Rice
| overall = 12–15
| conference = 6–10
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1997–98
| name = Rice
| overall = 6–22
| conference = 3–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1998–99
| name = Rice
| overall = 18–10
| conference = 8–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1999–00
| name = Rice
| overall = 5–22
| conference = 1–13
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2000–01
| name = Rice
| overall = 14–16
| conference = 5–11
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2001–02
| name = Rice
| overall = 10–19
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2002–03
| name = Rice
| overall = 19–10
| conference = 11–7
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2003–04
| name = Rice
| overall = 22–11
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = NIT Opening Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2004–05
| name = Rice
| overall = 19–12
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason = NIT Opening Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Rice Owls
| conference = Conference USA
| startyear = 2005
| endyear = 2008
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2005–06
| name = Rice
| overall = 12–16
| conference = 6–8
| confstanding = T–5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2006–07
| name = Rice
| overall = 16–16
| conference = 8–8
| confstanding = T–5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2007–08
| name = Rice
| overall = 3–27
| conference = 0–16
| confstanding = 12th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Rice
| overall = 218–247 ({{Winning percentage|218|247}})
| confrecord = 107–141 ({{Winning percentage|107|141}})
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders
| conference = Southland Conference
| startyear = 2011
| endyear = 2021
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2011–12
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 6–24
| conference = 4–12
| confstanding = 6th (West)
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2012–13
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 6–23
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 9th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2013–14
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 18–16
| conference = 14–4
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = CIT Second Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2014–15
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 20–14
| conference = 13–5
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = CIT Second Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2015–16
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 25–8
| conference = 15–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = CIT First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2016–17
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 24–12
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason = CIT Runner-up
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2017–18
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 11–18
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = T–8th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2018–19
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 14–18
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2019–20
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 14–18
| conference = 10–10
| confstanding = T–6th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2020–21
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 5–19
| conference = 2–13
| confstanding = 13th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
| overall = 143–170 ({{Winning percentage|143|170}})
| confrecord = 92–85 ({{Winning percentage|92|85}})
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = 361–417 ({{Winning percentage|361|417}})
| legend = no
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://goislanders.com/coaches.aspx?rc=153&path=mbball Texas A&M–Corpus Christi profile]
- [http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wilson_willis00.html Rice profile]
- {{Official website|http://www.collegeinsider.com/wilson/bio.html}}
{{navboxes|list=
{{Rice Owls men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Ben Jobe Award}}
{{Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Willis}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball coaches from Indiana
Category:Basketball players from Indianapolis
Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Category:High school basketball coaches in Texas
Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball coaches
Category:Rice Owls men's basketball coaches
Category:Rice Owls men's basketball players
Category:Stanford Cardinal men's basketball coaches
Category:Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders men's basketball coaches