ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams attracted some negative attention Wednesday after he seemed to pretty obviously campaign for one specific job in college basketball.
Williams tweeted Wednesday that he always considered Georgetown basketball to be “a dream job.” The tweet came seemingly out of the blue, with no context to it.
So people keep asking me so I will answer.. Georgetown Basketball has always been a dream job.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) January 11, 2023
To many, Williams’ tweet looked like a not-so-subtle attempt to put his name out there in connection with a potential Georgetown opening. The Hoyas are currently coached by embattled legend Patrick Ewing, though the team has lost 27 consecutive Big East games and fans are becoming increasingly vocal about a potential coaching change.
Williams, however, met a rather hostile audience with his tweet. The former Duke star was criticized for campaigning for a high-profile job despite his lack of coaching experience, and longtime NBA coach Stan Van Gundy even questioned Williams’ integrity for campaigning for a position that is not even open.
Not the best look when an individual with zero relevant coaching experience believes he can obtain a major head coaching job via Twitter campaigning. https://t.co/asCTq7cf0F
— Terrence Payne (@terrence_payne) January 11, 2023
Shouldn’t be campaigning for a job that isn’t open. Have some integrity.
— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) January 11, 2023
Williams attempted to defend himself by retweeting negative comments and saying there was “nothing wrong with stating what your dream job is in sports when people ask.” He also responded directly to Van Gundy by claiming that he was simply responding to a question.
I reposted the below bc frankly there is nothing wrong with stating what your dream job is in sports when people ask. Doesn’t mean you’re hating on anyone. Always going to do things my way. Call it whatever you want. Love channeling all the anger towards something better.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) January 11, 2023
Williams’ attempts at backtracking do not really hold water. It is not clear who was asking Williams about his dream job so frequently, and it is also strange that he originally called Georgetown “a” dream job, which only made it seem more like his remark was meant to launch a campaign. After all, if this was simply a general comment, why would Williams specifically cite coaching Georgetown ahead of Duke, a more prestigious and successful program that he has direct ties to?
Many also saw Williams’ tweet as arrogant, or at least a bit tone-deaf. He has no coaching experience at any level, and it is fair to question why he would be qualified for a power conference job even if it was available. After all, a similar situation in the NFL this season attracted a lot of scathing reviews from within the sport.
Whatever the case, Williams certainly seems to be indicating that he would love to hear from the Hoyas if they do make a change. Whether they would be interested is another question entirely.
