WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS. – Williams College a highly selective NCAA DIII institution with 2,100 students is making an exceptionally large impact on the NBA.
Current Eph head men's basketball coach
Kevin App who has coached four of the six Ephs in the NBA noted, "These six former Ephs have each taken different paths in their professional careers. From coaching, playing, building teams, and supporting organizations, they've each done what we hope all of our alumni do – find a passion, work and grow to find success, and make an impact. I'm thrilled to have such wonderful people representing Williams College and our basketball program in the NBA. Eph fans will continue to follow their teams and careers with great excitement and pride."
When Will Hardy '10 was hired as the head coach of the Utah Jazz last season, he completed something of a trifecta for Williams men's basketball. Along with Rafael Stone '94, general manager of Houston Rockets, and Duncan Robinson '13 -'14 season (at Williams), player for the Miami Heat, the Ephs registered an undeniable presence in the NBA. On top of these positions, three more Ephs are starting to make their marks in the league— Ed Flynn '16, Mike Greenman '18, and Cole Teal '18.
During his time at Williams as an assistant coach and then head coach
Kevin App coached Will Hardy '10, Ed Flynn '16, Mike Greenman '18, and Cole Teal '18.
Will Hardy '10 was an important contributor throughout his four years at Williams, and helped the team make two appearances in the NCAA tournament. At 6-6, Hardy played on the wing and specialized in the three point shot. When head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs — who had a connection to the college through former Williams head coach men's basketball coach Curt Tong — was looking to hire an intern, he said he "wanted a role player that was all about the team first, that had a great work ethic, that no task was beneath him…" and Hardy checked all the boxes.
While Hardy's team-first mentality helped him get the job with the Spurs, it was his vision and understanding of the game that led him to his head coaching position today. Hardy's head coach at Williams Mike Maker said of him: "Guys that can see, in my experience, tend to be exceptional coaches if they choose to go into that field. William is no exception to that." Hardy was promoted by Popovich to video coordinator in 2011, and to assistant coach in 2016.
After San Antonio, Hardy served as an assistant coach to the '21-'22 NBA Finals Celtics, and was named head coach of the Utah Jazz the year after. Despite only being predicted to win 24.5 games in the '22-'23 season, Hardy led the Jazz to a 37 - 45 record after a surprising 10-3 start. With three first round picks this year, and eleven more over the next five off-seasons, Hardy has an opportunity to assemble a large pool of young talent to build around in the years to come. Hardy was a member of the USA Men's Basketball coaching staff at the recent Tokyo Olympics where the USA won the gold medal.
Rafael Stone '94 played point guard for Williams and was a member of the first Williams team to ever play in the NCAA tournament. During his time at the college he played alongside four 1000+ point scorers and witnessed the start of a streak of five consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament. After graduating from Williams, Stone attended Stanford Law School, then began working in mergers and acquisitions for Dewey Ballantine LLP. Despite thinking he was done with the game when he became a lawyer, law gave Stone a path back into basketball when he was hired to become the Houston Rockets' General Counsel in 2005.
Stone became increasingly involved with basketball operations while serving as General Counsel, and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Rockets in 2019, before being promoted again in 2020 to General Manager. As GM of the Rockets, Stone has led the team's rebuilding efforts over the past three seasons. Like Hardy, Stone's main focus is the young core of his team. He's made remarkable picks out of the lottery, including Alperen Sengün in 2021 and Tari Eason in 2022. He has also been working on acquiring more experienced players, landing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks this summer. With these additions, Stone has assembled a tougher team that is sure to make a name for itself this upcoming season.
Duncan Robinson only played for Williams during the 2013-2014 season, and clearly left his mark on the team before transferring to Division I Michigan. Robinson averaged 17.1 points as a first year at Williams— scoring mostly with his signature three point shot. He took just over five and a half attempts from beyond the arc per game and knocked them down at a 45% rate. His 548 points is an Eph record for a first year player.
Alongside center Michael Mayer and forward Taylor Epley, Robinson led the Ephs to a 28-5 record and a deep run in the NCAA tournament, culminating in a heartbreaking last-second loss in the finals. After the season, Robinson was named a Division III All-American and was offered a spot on D1 powerhouse Michigan's team. Robinson is believed to be the first NCAA DIII basketball player to transfer to an NCAA DI school and receive a full athletic scholarship.
At Michigan, due to the old NCAA transfer rules, Robinson had to sit out a season. He used that year to adjust to Division I play, and made his debut in the '15-'16 season averaging 11.1 ppg.
Though he had a bit of a reduced role the following season, by his senior year he was back in the rotation and earned The Sixth Man of the Year Honor in the Big Ten en route to another heartbreaking loss this time in the NCAA D1 finals.
Going undrafted, Robinson signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat's G-League affiliate the Sioux Falls Skyforce where he demonstrated that he could play at the highest level -- shooting a sparkling 48% from three during his year in the G-League.
Robinson has racked up some impressive accolades since then: he's the fastest player in the NBA to make 200, 300, 400, 500 ,600, 700 and 800 threes, he owns the Miami Heat's 3 point record, and has been a contributor on the Heat's two trips to the NBA Finals in the last four years. With Miami's loss of guard Max Strus to free agency, Robinson is sure to play a bigger role than ever this season.
Ed Flynn '16 played center at Williams, and after making gradual improvements his first three seasons, was the starting center his senior year. He averaged seven points and five boards on efficient 60% shooting. After graduating, Flynn played professionally for a year in Germany, then spent some time working in finance before returning to the game as a graduate assistant for the University of Miami. Flynn worked for the Charlotte Hornets for two years in the video room, and has been hired to be the New Orleans Pelicans' head Video Coordinator this season.
Mike Greenman '18 was a first year on '13-'14 squad that headed to the NCAA finals with Duncan Robinson. Despite an injury that derailed his '15-'16 season, he was a four-year starter at guard and also contributed to a NCAA Final Four appearance in 2017, averaging seven points and three assists through his seasons at Williams. After graduating, Greenman worked as a graduate assistant for the Northwestern University Wildcats, earning a Master's degree in sports management before working for a basketball training technology company. He too got his start in the NBA via the video room. Last year he was a video coordinator for the Windy City Bulls in the NBA's G League, and this year he has moved up to be video coordinator for the Chicago Bulls.
Cole Teal '18 started as a guard for three seasons at Williams, playing on the same teams as Flynn and Greenman. Though he started off as a three point specialist for the Ephs, his game grew more versatile over time and he averaged 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds his senior season on an almost even split of inside and outside shots. After Williams, Teal immediately moved into professional basketball in the NBA's G League, working in basketball operations for the Delaware Blue Coats in '18-'19 and the Windy City Bulls in '19-'20. In 2021, Teal began working in basketball operations for the Greensboro Swarm and has since been promoted twice to Manager of Basketball Operations/Player Development and now to General Manager of the Swarm.
Williams College is small school, but the Ephs now have a surprisingly large footprint in the NBA.
