Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers

The 1990s were a largely successful decade for the Northwest men's basketball program, and current Northwest women's basketball head coach LaTaryl Williams had a lot to do with that.

A native of Oxford, Williams arrived at Northwest in the fall of 1996, playing for Northwest Sports Hall of Famer Marc Dukes. During his two seasons with the Rangers, Williams helped Northwest to a combined 57-11 overall record and an appearance in the 1998 NJCAA Final Four, while earning All-MACJC, All-Region 23 and All-NJCAA Tournament accolades.

From Northwest, Williams joined Ole Miss and helped the Rebels and head coach Rod Barnes to the 1999 NCAA Tournament and the 2000 National Invitational Tournament. While at Ole Miss, Williams scored 386 career points and amassed 156 career rebounds. From his junior to senior seasons, he nearly tripled his scoring average from 3.1 to 9.0 points per game.

After earning his Bachelor's degree from Ole Miss, Williams signed his first professional basketball contract with the Memphis Houn'Dawgs of the American Basketball Association. Following a successful rookie year with the franchise, Williams continued his professional career overseas for the next 10 years throughout Europe and South America. 

In 2008, Williams signed to play with the historic Leicester Riders in England. While there, he ran a basketball academy for youth ages 14-18 at Burleigh Community College for four years.

In 2012, Williams moved back to the United State after accepting an assistant coaching position for the women's basketball program at Holmes Community College. During his stint in Goodman, he helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to four straight postseason appearances, including the semifinals of the 2018 NJCAA Region 23 Tournament and a MACJC North Division title. 

While coaching at Holmes, Williams continued to pursue his education, earning his Master's degree in coaching and administration from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Following the 2017-18 season, Williams accepted the head coaching position for the women's basketball program at East Central Community College. He spent four seasons in Decatur, totaling 43 wins and an 18-6 overall record in 2018-19, the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. His 2018-19 team also cracked the NJCAA Top 25 rankings and the Lady Warriors would earn three trips to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

In 2022, Williams was appointed as the head coach for the Northwest women's basketball program. He is now entering his second year leading the Lady Rangers' program.

Williams married his wife Danetra during the offseason and the couple has three children: Khaliq, Lianna and Jaliyah.