Williamson lends a hand to Cousins

Central Arkansas coach Corliss Williamson gestures during the first half against UNLV in an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)
Central Arkansas coach Corliss Williamson gestures during the first half against UNLV in an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)

FAYETTEVILLE -- An old Arkansas Razorback is working to help a still pretty young former Kentucky Wildcat become one of the NBA's brightest stars.

Among the duties for Sacramento Kings assistant coach Corliss Williamson, the Russellville native and former Arkansas All-American forward, is trying to bring out the best in DeMarcus Cousins.

Both were first-round draft picks for the Kings -- Williamson in 1995 after his junior season and Cousins in 2010 after his freshman season.

Cousins, 24, is a 6-11, 270-pound power forward with perimeter skills who has averaged 18.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in five seasons with Sacramento, including 24.1 and 12.7 last season, but Williamson said he can do a lot more.

"His ceiling is still high," Williamson said recently when he was in Northwest Arkansas to play in Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson's charity golf tournament. "There are some things DeMarcus can do better on the court. We talk about them, we work on them.

"He's already a force to be reckoned with, but if he continues to improve his game and take pride in that, and take pride in getting in great shape every year, then you're going to see somebody that's really going to explode and become one of the best power forwards ever."

There have been numerous media reports in recent days that Kings Coach George Karl was pushing management to trade Cousins because of a personality conflict, but Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive and vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac have said the team is keeping its star player, who is signed through the 2017-18 season.

"I know what I have to do to improve our team, and DeMarcus -- as I've said 20 times -- is going to be part of it," Divac told media in Sacramento this week before drafting another Kentucky big man, Willie Cauley-Stein, in the first round Thursday night.

Presumably Williamson will get the opportunity to coach both Cousins and Cauley-Stein with the Kings.

"I think they're going to be a great combo," Divac said after the draft.

Cousins' play for the Kings has been overshadowed at times by his temper. He has drawn 73 technical fouls in his career, been ejected nine times and suspended for games by both the NBA and the Kings for disciplinary reasons.

During the 2013-14 season, Cousins was suspended by the NBA for one game after he punched Houston Rockets guard Pat Beverley, a former Razorback, in the stomach.

Williamson said while Cousins needs to continue to mature, his anger management issues have lessened.

"He's gotten better over the years," Williamson said. "He's still got a ways to go, but the thing about him that a lot of people don't know is that he really loves the game of basketball and wants to win.

"Sometimes it comes out emotionally the wrong way, but I think he definitely wants to become a better basketball player and he wants to be a leader and lead his team to the playoffs."

Williamson, 41, knows about winning in the postseason. He played on Arkansas teams that went 13-2 in the NCAA Tournament, which included winning the 1994 national championship and reaching the final game in 1995 before losing to UCLA. He was on an NBA championship team with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

In 12 NBA seasons, including eight with the Kings, Williamson averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds with career highs of 17.7 and 5.6 during the 1997-98 season. When he played for Detroit, he was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year for the 2001-02 season after averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 rebounds off the bench.

During Williamson's first season as a Kings' assistant in the 2013-14 season, the team worked out at the Pistons' practice facility before playing Detroit.

"They had banners on the wall of the teams that won championships and my name was up there for our players to see," Williamson said. "They gave me a little ribbing about that, but they understand what I did as a player, and I think that's helped earn their respect and their trust."

Williamson began coaching as a volunteer assistant for Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, then was head coach as the University of Central Arkansas for three seasons before returning to the NBA with the Kings.

Williamson said he enjoyed his time at UCA and that he appreciated the opportunity from Athletic Director Brad Teague to be a Division I head coach, but he said he couldn't turn down a job offer when he received a surprise call from then-Sacramento Coach Michael Malone in August 2013.

"For me, going to the NBA wasn't just about going to that level, it was about learning," Williamson said. "I wanted to learn more about the game so I could become a better head coach if I have the opportunity to do it again."

Williamson has survived two coaching changes in Sacramento. Malone was fired Dec. 15, 2014, and replaced by Tyrone Corbin, a Kings assistant. Then Corbin was reassigned to a front office advisory position Feb. 12, 2015, when Karl -- who previously led five NBA teams to 22 playoff appearances -- was hired.

"I've never heard of a team having three head coaches in one season, so it was a little different in that aspect," Williamson said. "But as far as the coaching staff goes, we just continued to work hard -- the same thing we asked of our players."

Coaching in the NBA, Williamson said, is a lot different than being a player.

"The hours that you put in to try to get guys to buy into your system and to also coach them up, that's something I really respect now," he said. "I've always had big-time respect for all the coaches I played for on every level, but now I'm learning what it feels like to be in their shoes.

"Being an assistant in the NBA, the hours of film you watch, the way you break the game down and analyze it to come up with your own philosophy as a coach, I think those are the things that I've really learned about over the past two seasons."

Sports on 06/28/2015

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