June 26, 2006
Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder announced that Jaida Williams has accepted an assistant coaching position at South Florida University. Williams served one year as the Hawkeyes’ director of basketball operations where she worked closely with the basketball staff and athletic administration to help coordinate the program’s day-to-day activities.
“I am happy that Jaida has earned an assistant coaching position after just one year here at Iowa,” said Bluder. “We are sad to see her go, but I think we have prepared her well to enter the coaching profession. She will be returning to her home state and that was an added incentive for her to take this position. We thank her for her contributions to our program this past season.”
“I am extremely excited and look forward to working with Jaida,” said South Florida Head Coach Jose Fernandez. “She is young, energetic, and has a tremendous work ethic, and I feel that she has a very bright future in our profession. She will also be heavily involved in recruiting and, with her playing experience, will be a great asset in the development of our players.”
Before joining Iowa’s staff, Williams began her collegiate coaching career during the 2004-05 campaign as an assistant at her alma mater, California Polytechnic University at Pomona (CPP). She served as an assistant coach overseeing academics, scouting and recruiting. She also assisted in game preparation.
A 2005 graduate of CPP, Williams received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her two years in Pomona, she was a standout on the women’s basketball team. Prior to her time on the West Coast, Williams began her collegiate career at Barry University where she was signed by current South Florida Head Coach Jose Fernandez while he was an assistant with the Buccaneers. A native of Miami, Williams would not play for Fernandez, however, since he left to become an assistant with the Bulls in the spring of 2000.