Suns hope new assistant Corliss Williamson’s edge rubs off on roster

PHOENIX – As a player, Corliss Williamson was known as “Big Nasty”, a nickname he received when he was young and carried with him throughout a standout high school, college and pro career.

Williamson played with an edge, something the Phoenix Suns have lacked on a consistent basis over the last couple of seasons, mainly because of the roster’s youth.

It was with that youth in mind that the Suns and new head coach Igor Kokoskov reached out to Williamson about becoming an assistant and joining Kokoskov’s first-ever coaching staff in the NBA.

“It’s funny. When we interviewed Corliss and doing our background on him, he’s very mild-mannered off the court. He’s got some of that ‘Incredible Hulk’ maybe when you make him mad, he can attack,” general manager Ryan McDonough said Thursday.

“With our young bigs, developing our young bigs, guys like Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender (and) if we draft a big at one or 16, we envision him having a big role in those areas.”

Williamson, who played 12 seasons in the NBA and helped lead Arkansas to its one and only national championship in 1995, began that role with the Suns this week.

“I think that helps you when you have edge to you on the court, especially if you’re a big guy. You have to do all the dirty work, boxing out, rebounding. It’s a battle down there,” he said. “So the more you can incorporate that into your workouts and the way you approach the game, I think it helps them become more effective on the court.”

Williamson is Kokoskov’s first official hire. The rest of the coaching staff is expected to be in place by the draft, according to McDonough.

Williamson, 44, entered the coaching ranks once his playing career ended in 2007, first as a volunteer coach on the college level before making his way back to the NBA, where he’s been on the sidelines for each of the past five seasons in Sacramento and most recently Orlando.

“He came very well regarded from Mike Malone and Frank Vogel and the coaches he worked with in the past,” McDonough said.

One of those past coaches happens to be Kokoskov.

The two connected in Detroit, during the Pistons’ run to the 2004 NBA Championship. Williamson was a player and Kokoskov an assistant on that title-winning team. It’s then that the pair developed a good working relationship.

“We were able to connect as player-coach when I played; just little tidbits of the game, little tricks he showed me,” Williams said, specifically mentioning Rajon Rondo’s signature ball-fake. “I remember we sat there and worked on it one day until I got the footwork right. That, and just a couple of little things about my game, different ways to get my shot off and create space. It was very helpful for me.”

It’s now Williamson’s turn to pay it forward, so to speak.

What Kokoskov did for him as a player, it’s now Williamson’s turn to do for the Suns young players.

“We have some good pieces here now, the opportunity to have the No. 1 draft pick and also, in talking with the management, how they want to really structure this team and change it to where we get on the right path,” he said.

“It’s always good to be on the ground floor of something. Of course, there’s other opportunities where you can go in where things are already made, but to have the opportunity to be here at the ground level and help rebuild this organization is something I was very intrigued and happy and excited to be a part of.”

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