Former New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Lands New Gig with Elite School

Former New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Monty Williams has found a coaching job in San Antonio.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A former head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans has found a new home. 

It was announced that Former Pelicans coach Monty Williams has accepted the head coaching job at TMI Episcopal prep school in San Antonio. The job will give Williams the chance for him to coach his son Elijah. The news was first reported by Senior NBA Insider Chris Hayes. 

The former coach led the Pelicans from 2010 to 2015. At the time of his hiring, Williams became the youngest head coach in the NBA at 38 years old. He was initially offered a three-year contract with the team and later accepted a four-year contract extension in 2012. 

During his tenure, Williams also accepted an assistant coach role on the United States Basketball National Team in 2013. He helped coach the team to a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

His best season was the 2014-15 season when the Pelicans finished with a 45–37 record. Although they finished last in the Southwest division for the fourth straight season, they found themselves in the playoffs as the eighth seed. They made the postseason for the first time since the 2011 season. Their season quickly came to an end, however, as they were swept by the Golden State Warriors 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors would eventually go on to become NBA Champions. 

His time with the Pelicans ended after the 2015 season when he was let go. He finished his time in New Orleans with a 173–221 regular-season record. His biggest struggle was going only 2–8 in the playoffs.

Williams bounced to four different teams over the past ten seasons after ultimately being fired last season as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. He led the struggling franchise to losing 28 consecutive games and the league's worst record of 14-68. According to former NBA Insider 
Adrian Wojnarowski, Detroit absorbed the remaining $65 million on his contract.

Williams is replacing another former NBA coach at the prep school. According to reports, he will replace former NBA defensive guru Bruce Bowen.

His son Elijah is a 6’6” forward entering his junior season at TMI Episcopal. According to 247 Sports, he is considered the 22nd national recruit and the top player in the state of Texas for the 2026 class. He has received seven offers from prominent colleges, including Notre Dame and the Ala Mater of Monty Williams, where he played from 1989-1994.