King Rice’s Monmouth staff is getting a Tar Heel boost.
Monmouth announced that Rice, the school’s men’s basketball head coach, has hired Shammond Williams as an assistant coach. The two never played together at North Carolina, but their UNC connection is now carrying over to the sidelines in West Long Branch.
Williams arrives with a long résumé behind him. He brings more than 20 years of professional basketball experience as a player and 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, and he is set to join Rice’s staff for the 2026-2027 season and beyond.
His most recent stop came at Denver, where he served as assistant coach and interim head coach during the 2024-25 season. Before that, Williams spent three years with Old Dominion’s women’s program and helped the Monarchs put together three straight 20-plus-win seasons.
Williams’ coaching path also includes stops at Western Kentucky in 2016-17, Tulane from 2013-16, and Furman in 2012-13. Along the way, he picked up recognition as well, earning a spot as a Top Three Recruiter in Conference USA by Sporting News in 2017 and being named one of the Most Influential Assistant Coaches in Mid-Major Basketball by Silver Waves Media in 2022.
Rice made clear he’s fired up to add another former Tar Heel to the program.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Shammond to our staff. He has an outstanding playing career, playing professionally for 16 years, including nine years in the NBA, and has built a strong career since retiring from playing. He brings a wealth of knowledge from both his playing and coaching experiences, which will be a great asset to our program."
Rice also pointed to the relationship that already existed between the two.
"Shammond is also another member of the North Carolina family, and we have spent countless hours over the years talking basketball. Additionally, Shammond helped us in the past with the recruitment of Justin Ray, so he already has a connection to our program and understands what we are about. We are very excited to have him here and look forward to what he will bring to Monmouth Basketball."
Monmouth highlighted the hire on Sept. 28, 2026, with the program welcoming Williams to West Long Branch and the coaching staff.
The move adds another former Tar Heel to Rice’s orbit and gives Monmouth a veteran coach with a deep background in both the college game and the pro ranks.
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