Bryston Williams

Bryston Williams is entering his second season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa men's basketball program.

During his first season in Iowa City, Williams guided the Hawkeyes to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in 39 years and first Sweet 16 since 1999. No. 9 seed Iowa downed three higher seeded teams -- No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida and No. 4 Nebraska.  The Hawkeyes led their South Region title game with seven minutes remaining with a Final Four spot on the line.

Iowa's 73-72 win over top-seeded Florida gave the Hawkeyes their second win all-time against the defending national champion. Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed and the sixth nine seed all-time to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-13 overall record with the 24 victories being tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The team finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll.

Iowa, which had 12 transfers among its 14-player roster, won three NCAA Tournament games in 2026; the program had four NCAA Tournament wins in the previous 24 seasons.

Senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who followed made the jump from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa City, was as good as advertised. Stirtz earned honorable mention All-America honors by The Associated Press and USBWA and first-team All-Big Ten honors by the media after averging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds.  He played 40 or more minutes 17 times during the season and finished with a program record 1,396 minutes.

Stirtz went from a second-team All-MIAA selection at the Division II level to an All-American in the Big Ten.  He was the only player in the nation to have 730+ points, 160+ assists, 95+ rebounds, 90+ 3-poiners and 50+ steals and he became one of three Power Conference players all-time to put up those numbers.

Stirtz became the first Hawkeye with 700+ points, 100+ assists and 50+ steals and the third Hawkeye to score 700+ points.  His 734 points were the fourth-most in a single season in Iowa history.

Williams spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach on Ben McCollum's coaching staff at Drake.  He helped guide the Bulldogs to a school-record 31 victories, a Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament title and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament by way of the 67-57 upset win over sixth-seeded Missouri.

Williams helped rebuild the Drake roster, as the Bulldogs brought in a combined 10 transfers and first-year players.  Stirtz was named the MVC Larry Bird Player and Newcomer of the Year, while being a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award and Lou Henson Awards.

The St. Joseph, Missouri, native came to Iowa City after serving as an assistant coach at Drake (2024-25), Wyoming (2023-24) and Indiana State (2021-23) at the collegiate level, while also spending time in the NBA and D-League.

During his stint at Indiana State, Williams coached the Sycamores to 23 wins during the 2022-23 season.  The team made its first postseason appearance since 2014 when it was the top seed in the College Basketball Invitational.

Before making the move to Terre Haute, Williams spent three seasons as an assistant for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. He developed the team’s mechanical shooting program, assisted with pre- and post-practice workouts, film breakdown and postgame reports.

During the 2017-18 season, Williams worked with the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G-League, where he assisted with game plan preparation and worked in player development. He also coached in the G-League for the Iowa Energy in 2016-17.

Williams was a member of McCollum’s first recruiting class at Northwest Missouri State in 2009.  He scored more than 700 points for the Bearcats, where he helped the team to two MIAA Conference championships and a Sweet 16 appearance as a senior.

Following graduation, Williams served as a graduate assistant under McCollum for two seasons, where he was a part of two more MIAA titles and Sweet 16 appearances.

Williams graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a bachelor’s degree in corporate recreation in 2014 and a master’s degree in applied health science in 2016. He and his wife, Hannah, have three children – daughter Kamryn and sons Kyrie and Kayson. 

Career
2014-16	Graduate Assistant, Northwest Missouri State
2016-18	Assistant Coach, Memphis Grizzlies
2018-21	Assistant Coach, Detroit Pistons
2021-23	Assistant Coach, Indiana State
2023-24	Assistant Coach, Wyoming
2024-25	Assistant Coach, Drake
2025-pres.	Assistant Coach, University of Iowa