Shammond Williams is about to take another hit to his legacy. The former North Carolina Tar Heels star resigned from his post on Monday afternoon. He was set to serve as an assistant coach with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Instead, he will do no such thing, with the timing of the resignation coming off as extremely odd. It may also have an indirect effect on the recruitment of a top College Basketball recruit.
Western Kentucky moves on without assistant
The resignation of Williams felt quite abrupt. There was no real sense that he was on the outs at his position.
His biography on the Western Kentucky website is no longer there as the team scrubs his existence from their database. Some were quick to make jokes on Twitter about the validity of his education as a North Carolina alum - that school is currently in the midst of a major academic scandal.
The team should be just fine without Williams, though. The team brought in some top recruits, including Mitchell Robinson. Rick Stansbury is entering his second season at the helm as the team continues its transition to Conference USA. But there is a potential complication - Williams is the godfather of none other than Robinson himself. There is no indication that Robinson will bolt Western Kentucky; he has a relationship with Stansbury that predates his recruitment.
It's a storyline to look out for, though.
The life of Shammond Williams
Williams was a star back in his own collegiate days. He held numerous school records following his days with the Tar Heels, including career three-point field goals made and career free throw percentage. He also held the distinction of being the first collegiate athlete with a dedicated website.
He was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1998 and appeared destined for a big NBA career.
But things did not go to plan. He bounced around the NBA and Europe, failing to make much of an impact except in 2005 when he was named MVP of the EuroChallenge All-Star Game. He retired from professional basketball with less than 2,000 points to his name.
He went into coaching and Western Kentucky was his second stop after several years at Tulane. Now, that portion of his career has been put on hold, begging the question as to whether or not the basketball community has seen the last of Shammond Williams, or if there is another act in store for him, waiting in the wings and yet to be revealed to the world.
