Berenato promotes b-ball assistant Williams

Before Pitt women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato received her Dapper Dan Charities award… Before Pitt women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato received her Dapper Dan Charities award as Sportswoman of the Year, she made sure to note that her assistant, Jeff Williams, deserved as much credit as her.

She meant it in her words then, and she followed suit by showing it with her actions.

During the off-season, Berenato promoted Williams to the position of associate head coach.

“Jeff has been a vital part of our growing success at the University of Pittsburgh,” she said. “He had the same vision as me when I arrived at Pitt three years ago. He believed we could win and win big.”

Williams echoed the same thoughts of larger goals that are still be reached.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to work with [Berenato] at the University of Pittsburgh, and I’m honored to be able to serve this program as associate head coach,” he said. “We have the same goals for our program — to be a top 20 team and compete for a national championship.

“With the leadership of Agnus and the great support of our administration, we are getting closer each day to making those goals a reality.”

Williams is best known for his work off the court as a recruiter and his efforts with Pitt’s conditioning programs, scouting and community involvement.

“We have been able to recruit high-quality student-athletes at Pitt — both in terms of their academics and abilities on the court — and Jeff is directly responsible for that,” Berenato said.

“His loyalty is unmatched, and he makes me a stronger coach,” Berenato said.

Williams holds nearly 20 years of basketball coaching experience, including his work with the Panthers.

Prior to coming to Pitt, Williams served two years on the Georgia Tech coaching staff under Berenato. Before his work at Georgia Tech, he was the head coach for the Atlanta Justice of the National Women’s Basketball League.

He served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Howard University for five years before moving along to the Justice. At Howard, Williams helped lead the team to four league titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

With Pitt, Williams works closely with the post players, including Marcedes Walker, who earned first team All-Big East last year.

Pitt surprised many in women’s college basketball last season by advancing to the semifinals of the WNIT and tying a school record with 22 wins.

Because of the return of four starters from last year’s team and Pitt’s hosting of first-round matchups in the 2007 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the upcoming season is highly anticipated by the Panthers.