"We’re extremely happy for Jaida and this opportunity. She was an instrumental part of what we accomplished here this past season. The relationships she built with not only the players and staff but also with the administration were tremendous and we’re going to miss her. She is a young and energetic coach and I know she’ll do well at Coastal." - Official statement from Wake Forest head coach Jen Hoover
Wake Forest assistant coach Jaida Williams will be introduced Friday as the new head women's basketball coach at Coastal Carolina. Williams spent the 2012-13 season on the Demon Deacon sideline under head coach Jen Hoover, where she served as recruiting coordinator for the 2014 recruiting class and acted as the program's alumni relations representative.
"I am forever grateful to my mentor and friend Jennifer Hoover.who has been extremely supportive of me," Williams said Thursday evening. "She's been extremely supportive of my dreams. Anything that I asked her to help me to grow in, she's been. I'll forever love and respect her as a coach and I wish nothing but the best for Wake Forest and the women's basketball program."
In addition to her recruiting duties and off-court responsibilities, Williams helped coordinate an up-tempo offense that averaged nearly 68 points per game during the 2012-13 season.
"Coastal Carolina can expect a new energy, a new phase," Williams said. I'm excited for the opportunity. We will play and exciting brand of women's basketball and we will have champions on the court and in the classroom. I hope to be half the coach Jennifer Hoover is. She's a phenomenal Xs and Os person, great at player development but most of all, she gets people down to the core. I hope to at least be half the coach that she is to my players here at Coastal."
Hoover said late Thursday that she was equally excited to see her now former assistant achieve her career goals.
"Jaida brings an energy and passion to everything she does," Hoover said. "From practice to film sessions, she has an infectious personality with the Xs and Os to go behind it. It's always sad to see a family member go, but I know she'll do a fantastic job at Coastal Carolina."