Marlon “Smoke” Williamson will fill the vacancy left by Barry Rohrssen as an assistant coach for the Pitt basketball team, the athletic department announced Tuesday.
Williamson spent the last two years serving as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts — the Minutemen’s two most successful seasons since the mid-1990s — under Derek Kellogg. Known for his recruiting, specifically of players from Michigan, Williamson spent the nine years previous to his time at UMass as the President of Youth Operations and head coach of “The Family,” an AAU basketball team in his hometown of Detroit.
“We are excited about Marlon becoming a member of the University of Pittsburgh community and I know he is ecstatic to be coming aboard,” Dixon said in a press release. “As a former point guard with strong knowledge of the game, Marlon will help us in recruiting, scouting and player development. We are fortunate to have a coach with his well-rounded background. Marlon is extremely excited to be a part of our staff considering his family ties to Pittsburgh.”
Williamson’s father is from Pittsburgh and he himself played at nearby Youngstown State, lettering for four years from 1999-2003 and serving as captain during his senior season, when he was named to the Horizon League’s All-Defensive Team.
Rohrssen left in May to join his longtime friend John Calipari at the University of Kentucky.