Alabama State University announced Tuesday the hiring of former NBA star guard Mo Williams as the Hornets’ new head basketball coach.

Williams had a 14-year NBA career highlighted by a championship ring from playing on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I am extremely excited to become part of the family, and I am looking forward to the challenge. Go Hornets!” Williams remarked in a release provided by ASU.

He was most recently an assistant coach at California State University at Northridge for two years under coach Mark Gottfried.

The Mississippi native is not a stranger to the Yellowhammer State. He played two years of college basketball at the University of Alabama before entering the NBA Draft.

His coach at the time was Mark Gottfried, his boss at California State Northridge.

The 37-year-old is fondly remembered by many Alabama fans for leading the Crimson Tide to a conference championship in 2002, a season which earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

Williams was taken in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft and played for seven teams across his 14 seasons. He was named an all-star during the 2008-2009 season he spent with the Cavaliers.

After a few stops elsewhere, Williams returned to the Cavs for the 2015-2016 season in which they won the NBA Championship, a victory that allowed Williams to retire on top.

“It’s a great day to be a Hornet,” Williams said on Tuesday.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95