Bryston Williams

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

The St. Joseph, Missouri, native joins the program after spending 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.  One of the signees – Bennett 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.

Williams 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